Check and Balance
by jacob
Summary: All good things must come to an end, in this case the good thing is privacy. Hitsugaya knew that eventually his relationship with Ichigo would come out, but he never expected it to happen the way it did. [IchiHitsu SLASH]
1. Check and Balance

Disclaimer—I do not own Bleach and this is not for profit. Shakespeare is public domain.

A/N—I can't stop, IchiHitsu just does not stop invading my brain, despite the other stories I should be working on, or even my own original fiction. The worst sort of distraction, but I love it anyways. This story should be a couple chapters longer than Frozen Strawberries, but that always depends on reader response! Minor spoilers.

Check and Balance

Meetings between the captains of the Gotei 13 always made Hitsugaya feel discomforted. His status as the youngest ever captain in Soul Society's history ensured his place in history, and an almost god-like amount of awe from most shinigami. For the men and women who were the most powerful in Soul Society, however, those things meant little. The problem was that each of the captains was special; all of them were famous and talented in unique ways. A typical captain meeting was filled with the egos and grudges that rose between such naturally powerful individuals, almost always leading to some sort of showdown. Even if Zaraki Kenpachi caused most of those conflicts in some way, there was a saying that putting two captains in a room would either lead to the discovery of something amazing, create a friendship that could move mountains, or start a fight that would decimate the surrounding area for miles. Or something akin to that. Hitsugaya didn't typically bother with the gossip of those who were so far beneath him as to have no idea how captains interacted with each other.

Even if they happened to be correct.

Hitsugaya hadn't meant to zone out, but the feud between Kurotsuchi and Zaraki was so old now as to be completely devoid of interest. Komamura would step between the two, or Ukitake, and if they didn't step down then, Yamamoto-sotaicho would stop them, without a doubt. Not even Zaraki was crazy enough to challenge the most powerful man in Soul Society. After all, only Kyoraku and Ukitake could hope to match the old man, and they had to fight together to hold him off. Aizen himself didn't even dare challenge the captain commander directly, relying on the location of his fortress and Soul Society law to give him the time and space needed to act.

Which was part of why Ichigo had been able to lead a strike force into Hueco Mundo and pull out Inoue Orihime. Aizen had been expecting them, but his defenses had been untried and untested. Official details of the fights were scarce, Kuchiki Rukia and Abarai Renji had both been incapacitated enough to not have seen the majority of the action. If it wasn't for Ichigo being willing to tell Hitsugaya everything that had happened, it was likely there would be no record of the event.

He'd told Hitsugaya though, he'd told him everything, and quite a lot of it had not gone into his private and covert report to the captain general. There was no reason for Yamamoto or future generations to know about how Ichigo had been so scared he would lose his friends, his pain over not being able to protect them from being hurt, or the fact that he had given over to his hollow side long enough to fire a cero of such magnitude that his group could escape in the aftermath. Power of the sort Ichigo possessed was frightening, especially when a man as dangerous as Aizen sought that power. Bad enough that Orihime had a power with god-like abilities to affect the nature of fate, or that Sado Yasutora could annihilate everything in front of his fist, not to mention the Quincy that Ichigo insisted on being friends with. It was enough to make Hitsugaya despair, and no he was not jealous one bit of the amount of time that the god-damned Quincy spent with Ichigo, even if Ishida was clearly attracted to the orange-haired boy and attempted to cover it with his proud anti-shinigami diatribes. Hitsugaya just knew the bastard had ulterior motives, but Ichigo would always just insist (laughingly, and there was nothing Hitsugaya hated more than being laughed at) that he was being "silly and jealous."

The only reason Ichigo still had his testicles was because he'd managed to mollify Hitsugaya. The white-haired boy flushed slightly, reminiscing.

_"Toshiro, you're being silly and jealous," Ichigo said, laughter in his voice. The two had been lying in bed, only now Hitsugaya was standing at the side of the bed Ichigo was sitting on._

_"Kurosaki…" Hitsugaya growled, his anger poisoning his face. Ichigo raised his hands up, at once trying to placate his boyfriend and ward off any potential physical retaliation._

_"I know, I know, but I'm not laughing at you, I'm laughing at the idea of me being with Ishida. He doesn't have room for another stick up his ass, you know." Hitsugaya couldn't help it, he smirked. Ichigo smiled and reached out cup Hitsugaya's face._

_"That's my Toshiro," he said, using his thumb to pet the other boy's cheek bone. Hitsugaya raised a hand to Ichigo's grabbing the thumb and holding it still a couple inches from his face._

_"You're not off the hook." Ichigo frowned._

_"This isn't just about Ishida, is it?"_

_"You went to Hueco Mundo, you were throwing your life away and you didn't even—" Hitsugaya stopped, his voice had cracked slightly on the last word, and he took a deep breath to get his control back._

_"Didn't what, come say good bye to you? Why the fuck would I do that?" Hitsugaya gaped at Ichigo, hurt scrawled over his face, his grip on Ichigo's hand tightening._

_"You—"_

_"I would never say good bye to you," Ichigo said, his face and voice deadly serious, and before Toshiro could explode with anger he continued, "Because I'm never going to leave you, ever." Hitsugaya stopped, paused in such a manner that he looked like a wax statue, even if no statue could ever capture the sensation of being around Hitsugaya evoked in people, the peculiar sense of being in the presence of powerful intent. _

_"Ichigo," Hitsugaya wished he could say more, but his mouth stopped working as his heart swelled into the sweetest ache he'd ever felt in his life. The anger and pain of a second ago had been completely eradicated by Ichigo's words. Ichigo turned over Hitsugaya's hand and drew it to his chest, placing it over his heart. With his other hand he reached up to gently feel the line of Hitsugaya's jaw with the back of his fingers, ghosting over the soft skin while gazing into his brilliant teal eyes, the color of deep ice on a glacier._

_"No more of this, no more Ishida or fear between us. I want," Ichigo stopped and took a deep breath, closing his eyes as if in preparation, before looking back into Hitsugaya's eyes in a way that seemed to sear the white-haired boy's very soul. "I want to make love to you, Toshiro." Hitsugaya sighed a little, disappointed._

_"Sex isn't the answer, Ichigo." He didn't feel at all like a hypocrite. No sir. Just because the second Ichigo had come back he'd jumped his bones so hard he'd actually made Ichigo scream did not mean he thought that intercourse mended the rift that had opened between them._

_"Not sex, Toshiro, we're going to make love." Hitsugaya eyed Ichigo warily._

_"And the inherent differences between the two are?"_

_"Let me show you," Ichigo said, and then reached over to turn out the light._

Ichigo had been right, there was a difference. An enormous difference. Something had changed in their interaction. He'd been so tender, so gentle and so loving… Hitsugaya's skin prickled with the ghostly sensation of warm hands and a voice in his ear whispering, "Every time I look at you, I fall in love again. I'm sorry I left, Toshiro." He was so distracted that hearing the last item on Yamamoto's agenda was like a deluge of ice water on his body.

"The final order of business is the problem of Kurosaki Ichigo," Yamamoto-sotaicho said. Reactions across the room were varied and open, at once typical and irregular of a meeting between the captains. Each captain had met, fought or worked with one of the humans who had invaded Soul Society all those months ago, and there was no dismissing their significant influences and effects on Soul Society. Of them all, Kurosaki Ichigo had clearly had the most impact, and Hitsugaya knew that each and every captain had a strong opinion about the human boy, which in and of itself was highly unusual. To attract the attention of the most powerful members of Soul Society was both rare and notable.

"There is a problem with him?" Ukitake asked, far too mildly to actually be feeling calm.

"He is a wildcard, a maverick and uncontrollable quantity in a war that must be won for the sake of both Soul Society and the living world. He can turn the balance of war simply with his presence." Hitsugaya could feel his heart begin to sink. There was no way that the old man was going to do this. The report had been made fully and honestly, in exchange for complete discretion. But he was looking at Hitsugaya intently, and the 10th squad captain knew that the leader of the Gotei 13 fully intended to break his word.

"Surely you jest, he is only a human, more powerful than a normal one, yes, yes, but not something that necessitates concern," Kurotsuchi said. "My time is too valuable to waste on minutiae." The look Yamamoto-sotaicho gave the painted captain cowed him in a way that no other shinigami could ever hope for, no matter how much they tried.

"Many of us here have witnessed his power, he possesses an unusual bankai, and what's more he has the hollow abilities that Aizen so desperately seeks." Hitsugaya's hands had clenched into fists completely out of his own control.

"He does?" Kurotsuchi asked in surprise, surprise that was echoed by several other captains, but interestingly enough most of the seniors simply nodded. Hitsugaya flinched, an action that did not go unnoticed by the two captains standing around him, Kenpachi and Ukitake.

"His use of those powers is how he survived his venture in Hueco Mundo, that is how powerful he is. Hitsugaya-taicho's report on the matter will be distributed to all captains and vice-captains, and will progress no further. In order to combat the potential threat of Kurosaki going rogue, I will set Hitsugaya-taicho the task of reigning him in."

"No." The word escaped his mouth before any of the other captains could react. If before they had not displayed surprise, now they were openly shocked. Hitsugaya was almost shaking with rage.

"What, Hitsugaya-taicho?" asked the old shinigami, the question more reflexive and rhetorical in nature than in honest curiosity. His surprise at being challenged by one of the most formal and obedient captains he had ever worked with was so complete he didn't even become angry immediately.

"I said, Yamamoto-sotaicho, that I shall not force Kurosaki into a course of action." Now the old man's eyes narrowed in stern anger, but Hitsugaya held firm. He had trusted the old man with something that was precious and precarious, his relationship with Ichigo. His loyalty to Soul Society had compelled him to give an honest report of the events as Ichigo had related them to him, but he had only shared the report with the inherent promise of discretion.

"Why not?" The old man was a bastard all right. Instead of threatening him with the obvious consequences for disobeying a direct order, he was trying to coerce Hitsugaya; in much the same way he wanted Hitsugaya to force Ichigo to obey him. Hitsugaya took a deep breath, if the old bastard wanted to play it that way, he needed to talk fast.

"Because Kurosaki's position is at once unique and valuable. He stands as an objective check on the intentions of Soul Society, and he does so with a strong sense of morality and justice. His power is more valuable because he is not under our direct control; he acts in the service of his notion of justice, and in doing so forces us to examine our own path of justice. It is how he has saved us before, how he saves us now, and how he will save us tomorrow." The other captains stood silent and still, although Hitsugaya was sure he could count on the seniors to support him. The captain commander frowned; he clearly had expected Hitsugaya to fold instead of continuing his defiance.

"You would defy Soul Society law, Hitsugaya-taicho? The will of the Gotei 13 during a time of war?" The room was quiet, each captain waiting for the answer Hitsugaya would give to the question. A calm breath did nothing to settle his nerves, but at this point Hitsugaya could forgive himself for feeling as anxious as he did.

"Yes, I would, if I believed it to be right and just." The words were heavy and when they hit the absolute silence after the thinly veiled threat the emotional attitudes of the room shifted wildly again.

"You," Yamamoto drew himself up like the wrath of a god ready to descend. Hitsugaya braced himself for what exactly he didn't know; only hoping to be ready. It was wartime, and even if his actions were on the point of treason, he was reasonably sure he was too powerful to be executed. He just didn't know if his captaincy would survive what Yamamoto would say next. Was Ichigo truly worth all this?

_"I love you, Toshiro. My sword and my heart are as much yours as they are mine." _Yes, he was completely worth it. But this could hurt, a great deal.

"Ne, ne, Yama-jii, I think Hitsugaya-taicho has a point," said Kyoraku. Hitsugaya almost sighed in relief, but instead just closed his eyes for a second, trying to gather himself.

"Shuinsui?" Once again the old bastard was shocked, and a part of Hitsugaya smirked rather ruthlessly.

"Kurosaki Ichigo has proven himself a valuable ally and a selfless man of great integrity time and time again. Is there reason to doubt he will continue to act this way?" Ukitake's strong, ever reasonable voice, was comforting but even more so was the way the white haired man shifted his stance slightly to show his support of Hitsugaya, even if fighting broke out. Hitsugaya felt the immense weight lift even further; with Kyoraku and Ukitake supporting him he had a chance.

"Aizen, Ukitake," Komamura said softly.

"With all due respect, Komamura-taicho, Kurosaki is nothing like Aizen. He is transparent and has no mastery of kidou," Hitsugaya said.

"He is too powerful to work independently. His actions could prove liabilities, even if he only has good intentions," Soifon's voice was cold and ruthless, and unfortunately it was not a point that Hitsugaya could refute.

"So what would you suggest?" Unohana was ever the quiet voice of reason.

"That Hitsugaya-taicho sways him and brings him under our control. That is the only course of action we can take at this juncture," said Yamamoto, his eyes were stern and his beard practically quivered with indignation. Hitsugaya tried to keep the impulse to pull Hyorinmaru and bankai the old man, but he'd be damned if he revealed their relationship before the rest of the captains just to say why he couldn't do it. For a moment he truly despaired, no course of sane action seemed available and he could not truly defy the will of Soul Society. Just as he was about to burst, do something either crazy, suicidal or simply cave, help came from an unexpected corner.  
"Why is that you would you task the 10th squad captain with that duty in particular?" asked Kuchiki Byakuya. Yamamoto began to look uncomfortable and suddenly Hitsugaya knew that his secret was no longer safe. In many ways it was a relief, and at the same time he was wondering how the fuck did Kuchiki Byakuya know about him and Ichigo? Kuchiki Rukia would know, but she surely wouldn't report such a thing to her brother, would she?

"Hitsugaya-taicho has… qualities that will prove advantageous for such a task." Now all of the captains were looking at their leader with something bordering on suspicion in some cases, or staring at the wall bored out of their minds like Kurotsuchi.

"Such as? My vice-captain is close with Kurosaki, as is my sister. Why are they not selected for such a duty?" The quiet aristocratic voice was implacable.

"I don't think the specifics are important here—" Yamamoto started.

"Unfortunately that is not the case," Hitsugaya almost gaped, Byakuya, the stiffest and most law-abiding captain on the Gotei 13 had just interrupted the captain commander in the middle of a sentence. His surprise was echoed in several faces around the room, not the least of which was Yamamoto's. "The specifics are very important, because Kurosaki Ichigo and Hitsugaya-taicho are more to each other than simple companions." Slate gray eyes met his brilliant teal ones, and offered a silent apology. "They love each other. To force apart such a bond is both deplorable and unwise."

"Is this true, Genryusai-sensei?" Ukitake asked, his voice containing a small note of horror at what his leader was attempting to do. Hitsugaya felt a hand on his shoulder, one that didn't squeeze him affectionately or anything like that, as if the hand didn't know how to comfort but wanted to. The fact that the hand was huge and covered his shoulder made him feel practically enveloped by warmth. Zaraki Kenpachi didn't believe in much, but apparently he believed in love.

"That's a damn shame, old man." Zaraki's voice was the rumble of an avalanche ready to swallow anything in its path. "Cuz there's no way in hell I'll let this happen. Don't think any of us here will."

"You are all willing to wager this war on the whims of a human boy?" Yamamoto's voice was angry, but Hitsugaya didn't care anymore. He felt lighter than air, as if he was in a dream because this situation clearly could not be real, it just couldn't be happening. The hand on his shoulder steadied him slightly as he trembled, bringing him back to reality because this was happening, it was not a dream. He looked up at Zaraki who winked at him. Hitsugaya knew that Ichigo had affected more than one captain in very deep ways, but this was decidedly surreal of the infamous battle-loving captain of squad 11.

"If Kuchiki-taicho says the two are in love, then we do not wager it at all. We place our trust in love, which is stronger than any one person," Unohana said, and somehow her words decided the matter.

"Such a bond would ensure the boy's loyalty far more than any other method," Soifon added, her ruthless pragmatics this time aiding Hitsugaya's cause.

Yamamoto looked at his captains, and realized that none of them would support his actions, and each of them was looking at him with their own form of disapproval. He sighed; such insubordination had become all too common since that human boy had stuck his nose into their affairs. It was as if his captains had all just been waiting to start defying him. And yet…

"Perhaps I have grown too old," he said softly, and Kurotsuchi began to mutter about how if he missed the surgery on subject 34-B he would be most upset, yes most upset and he would just have to find another test subject which was so hard these days in a state of war but if this damn meeting would end now he could get there in time if only they would stop chattering about useless things. Kyoraku cleared his throat at the other captain making him subside.

"Nah, you just don't know Ichigo like we do," Zaraki said. The meeting ended soon afterwards, and Hitsugaya made his way (practically ran) out of there before he could be stopped for questioning. He truly had not wished for his relationship with Ichigo to be uncovered, it was a private affair, untainted by his position as a captain or his reputation. When he was with Ichigo, his concerns and cares could melt away. Ichigo was safe, removed from the stress and pain of his life in Soul Society, untainted by the nature of shinigami society. If he was completely honest, keeping it secret made him feel like he had more control than he really did.

And now everyone knew. And he knew shinigami. If there was anything a death god liked more than fighting or becoming stronger, it was gossip. Say good-bye to any sense of privacy, Hitsugaya, it's going to be all over the Court of Pure Souls in 2 seconds flat.

Perhaps the problem was that their relationship had progressed too fast. Hitsugaya had never been so out of sync with his emotions, never felt so tied up in another person. Around Ichigo he couldn't even keep his mask up, and damn it all he couldn't help but smile and laugh. He ached when the orange-haired boy wasn't around, and when he was around his presence, just his presence made Hitsugaya feel at peace. He didn't hate feeling the way he did with Ichigo, but he'd spent years achieving a serious demeanor, and to have it undone so very easily by a simple human boy was disconcerting. Strong emotions were something he was used to burying, and he wanted to be able to bury them once more before he introduced Ichigo as his partner.

Now all of his plans were out the window. He took one final flash step too the door of his office. Entering the room where his paperwork and sometimes his adjutant lived, he gave a sigh of relief. The name of his office might as well have been "sanctuary" because he always felt removed from the hustle and bustle of bureaucracy and the antics of his division. Although there was no where near the chaos that the 11th division created, or the explosions and hastily covered up experiments-gone-wrong of the 12th division, the 10th division had its fair share fights, melodramatics and general conflicts that Matsumoto never seemed to take care of. Usually some sake or her breasts got in the way, somehow. Hitsugaya had given up a long time ago on fathoming his vice-captain's excuses.

As he eased into his chair behind the great hand carved wooden desk that went with his office, he finally began to relax. Muscles that had been tense for long hours began to unknot, and he wished that Ichigo was there so he could ask for one of those shoulder rubs that the Kurosaki boy could do oh-so-well.

Hitsugaya blinked. His spirit sense had just picked up a very familiar signature, one that he (and just about anyone with a measure of skill) could pick out even if they were half asleep.

_How like him to show up when I need—am thinking about him._ He closed his eyes and counted. On the 5th second the door swung open and Kurosaki Ichigo came barreling through with a thoughtful look on his face that surprised Hitsugaya.

"Ichigo, what are you doing here?"

"To be honest, I'm not entirely sure. Are you all right?" Hitsugaya frowned and looked curiously at Ichigo.

"I'm fine, what does that have to do with anything?"

"I just got a hell butterfly from Soul Society saying that I should come as fast as possible, that you needed me. But the message, well it didn't feel like it was from you."

"It wasn't."

"Oh, well then. Uh," Ichigo trailed off, seemingly out of things to say.

"Well, I actually was just thinking about you," Hitsugaya admitted. Ichigo smiled and began to preen.

"Really?"

"Yes, I—I'm feeling really tense and I was wondering…" Hitsugaya hated it when he sounded so fucking timid, but the part of him that asked for help was still newborn, and decidedly out of practice. Thankfully Ichigo knew all of this, and he never made Hitsugaya feel awkward about it.

"You want a back rub?"

"Yes please."

"Come over here then," Ichigo said, slapping the back of the couch.

"Would you lock the door?" Hitsugaya asked as he took off his captain's robe and then undid his top so that it hung at his waist. He lay down on the couch with his head facing outwards. The click of the lock finally settled his nerves, so that when Ichigo climbed on top of him to straddle his backside he could only sigh in contentment. Ichigo's hands were callused and strong, but his touch was deft and gentle. The magical fingers began to slowly move his skin and muscles, pushing and rubbing tension out of him. Hitsugaya couldn't help but close his eyes and began to make little involuntary noises. He remembered the first time he'd completely let slip like that, and he'd made a noise that was embarrassingly like a bark when Ichigo had been deep inside of him and he couldn't hold himself back. It was the sort of thing that would have made him unbearably ashamed, except that the noise had so undone Ichigo that the other boy came almost immediately afterwards. Then it had been something they had laughed about, and Hitsugaya could remember clearly that was the moment he felt at ease with calling the thing they had between them love.

"So, tell me what happened. I wanna know who would send me a hell butterfly telling me you needed me." Honestly, Hitsugaya wanted to know as well.

"There was a meeting of the captains today," Hitsugaya said, and then paused as Ichigo found a particularly painful muscle. He hissed, the pressure on his shoulder hurt even though he could feel the knot being undone. Ichigo's hands lessened their pressure, gently moving on the skin above the now undone knot, manipulating his back softly and luxuriantly.

"And?" Ichigo said.

"You came up during the meeting. Yamamoto-sotaicho wanted me to… convince you to join Gotei 13."

"Oh?" Ichigo infused the single syllable with a wealth of meaning and questions. Hitsugaya paused as he decided how he should continue. It would not do to make Ichigo angry, any further resentment he might develop about Soul Society could be damaging to the support Hitsugaya had garnered, especially if Ichigo became angry enough to take some sort of action.

"He wanted a guarantee of control over you, he feels you are a threat to the stability of Soul Society. Even if your actions are motivated solely by good will, you could unintentionally prove detrimental to Soul Society's cause.

"Where have I heard that before?"

"He wanted to use our relationship as leverage."

"He what?" Ichigo practically yelled.

"But, the measure didn't pass. I thought it might, but Kuchiki-taicho apparently knew about us, and he told the rest of the captains." Ichigo's mouth hung open in surprise, and worked as he tried to come up with things to say.

"Byakuya did what?" he finally settled on, his voice weak with pure amazement.

"I know—it was the most bizarre thing I've ever seen. But each of the captains defended you, defended us."

"Huh, so one of them must have sent that butterfly."

"Obviously, I just can't imagine any of them doing it," Hitsugaya said.

"Really, none of them?"

"Perhaps Ukitake-taicho. He views himself as something of a mentor to me."

"You mean he gives you candy?" Ichigo asked humorously.

"I mean he patronizes me with candy," corrected Hitsugaya swiftly.

"You still take it," Ichigo teased.

"Only because it would be rude to refuse. Besides, you call him Ukitake-san while you cheerfully disrespect all the other captains."

"Hey, I know how to be respectful. Those old bastards are so stiff though, it pisses me off."

"You could stand to be a bit more polite," Hitsugaya rolled over. "If you made an effort, Yamamoto-sotaicho wouldn't be so concerned."

"Like I care what the old man thinks," Ichigo said in an undertone. He was rubbing circles on Hitsugaya's chest, soft touches that felt like heaven on his skin, Ichigo's sword calluses catching on his nipples and slightly scratching him.

"That's exactly what I mean, Kurosaki, you let your mouth run entirely too much." God it was getting hard to think. If Ichigo wasn't careful other things would get harder as well, and then where would they be?

"Che, whatever, Toshiro. I am how I am, they can learn how to deal with it." Hitsugaya frowned, propping himself up slightly. In response Ichigo let his hands fall and lay down fully, resting his head on the smooth stomach of the boy beneath him.

"Why do you have to be so difficult?" Hitsugaya asked the top of Ichigo's head.

"Oh, I don't know, maybe it's because the first time I came here it was to rescue my best friend from being unfairly executed." The rumble of Ichigo's voice and the scratchiness of his hair combined to feel oddly like his hands, until Ichigo began to nuzzle his chest.

"That was an aberration, and you know it. We have our rules for very specific reasons, having them subverted from within should not have occurred." He pulled himself back to lean on the arm of the couch, dragging Ichigo with him. After they resettled, and Ichigo continued to bury his face in Hitsugaya's torso, he began to play with Ichigo's hair. Running his hands through it, twisting it slightly and then tracing the line of his jaw, or the outline of his ears.

"You know we learned about something in my civics class, it was called the 'system of checks and balances.' In a government, the various branches should function, as checks on the other branches so as to balance the power, and make sure decisions are proper and just. So maybe Soul Society needs a check like me to balance your decision making."

"That's funny." Ichigo drew back and looked at Hitsugaya. His body language screamed that he was offended and Hitsugaya mentally slapped himself in the face for misspeaking.

"Funny, you think that's funny?" If there was one thing they both had in common, it was pride. Mocking their opinions was a surefire way to offend Hitsugaya and Ichigo, something that when they weren't busy placating each other, they bonded over.

"Only in that I made a very similar argument to the captain commander, to justify my position of non-interference with you," the white-haired shinigami said, wriggling down the couch so that he was completely under Ichigo. The taller boy smiled widely at him, and he honestly felt like his heart stop. Ichigo lay down on top of him, folding one arm under Hitsugaya's so that he could grab Hitsugaya's hair and the other hand disappeared between their two bodies.

"And then Byakuya spilled the beans." Ichigo was gently twirling his boyfriend's incredible hair. He could play for hours with Hitsugaya's hair (it was something they had in common), if the shinigami let him. And given the way that Hitsugaya had just hissed in pleasure at what Ichigo's other hand was doing it looked like he could get his way.

"An interesting colloquialism, but yes." Ichigo smirked at the boy who had gently begun to thrust into his hand.

"I have another one for you, let's play doctor." Hitsugaya knew for a fact that Ichigo loved it when he looked horribly confused, but that didn't stop the orange haired boy from dropping phrases or doing things that left him completely and openly baffled.  
"Doctor?" Ichigo's face suddenly became serious, his tone business-like.

"Hello young man, my name is Dr. Kurosaki. You have what appears to be mortification of the penis. I'm afraid that if left untreated, you could lose your genitals. The only thing to do is an oral resuscitation. Are you prepared?" Hitsugaya was looking at Ichigo with his eyelids partially lowered, a mixture of incredulity, arousal, and the patented brand of scorn he gave to everyone. Ichigo sighed dramatically.

"You're no fun, you know that?" Hitsugaya smirked.

"You know me, I'm the rain on your parade." He reached up to wrap his arms around Ichigo's shoulders and kissed him. Ichigo tasted like something sweet, probably an after school snack. Gently the two began to undress each other, without trying to move so they could keep touching. Ichigo turned so that Hitsugaya was on top, and began to suck on his neck. Their bodies were aligned with one another, pressing down and close so that eventually Hitsugaya knew they would feel like a single entity, a joint body of pleasure and—

One of the downsides of being so physically close to Ichigo was that it clouded his spirit sense. So when the door unlocked and his vice-captain walked in he was still trapped on top of a fantastically kissing Ichigo, his hands up Ichigo's shirt and clawing at his back, Ichigo's hands attempting to slide down Hitsugaya's pants, clutching at his back side. He glared at her, but instead of leaving she leered at him, and opened the door wider. Hitsugaya's eyes went wide and he opened his mouth to say something except Ichigo, who still had his eyes closed damn him, he suddenly pressed his body to Hitsugaya's, his grip on the shorter boy's rear adding extra force to their grinding bodies. He tried to do something other than gasp incoherently but oh god it felt so good and Matsumoto had just been joined by—oh god it looked like almost all the members of the Shinigami Women's Association were present. Hitsugaya could feel his head begin to throb and he purposefully shoved himself up off Ichigo, so forcefully that Ichigo's head smacked the arm of the sofa. Hitsugaya gripped his captain's robe and immediately drew it over his naked chest.

"Ouch, what the hell Toshiro—WHAT THE FUCK?" Ichigo practically shrieked at the women and Hitsugaya winced.

"Oh, why'd you have to stop?" Matsumoto was pouting, she was fucking pouting. Hitsugaya was going to poison her, he decided. Something that would take its time and be extremely painful. Maybe he'd ask Kurotsuchi if he needed a new test subject.

"Matsumoto…" His voice sounded incensed even to his own ears, and several of the women outside the room paled.

"Ichy Ichy was making nookie with Shiro-chan? Wow… Wait till Ken-chan hears this," Yachiru cheered and took off at a dead sprint. Hitsugaya could feel an embolism coming on.

"I think it would be prudent to leave at this juncture," Nanao muttered and took off, Isane and Kiyone following close behind. Soifon paused before she left to smirk at Hitsugaya.

"Enjoy celebrating, Hitsugaya-taicho."

"Just—just leave," Ichigo waved at the remaining three. Matsumoto sighed, Nemu continued to gaze as if completely fascinated (Hitsugaya dimly noticed that she had a notepad and she was sketching while staring straight at them, creepy and creepier) and the girl next to them was unfamiliar to Ichigo, Hitsugaya could tell from one look at his paramour's face. But the look on the face of one of his oldest friends was cutting him, even if Ichigo didn't know who she was, he owed her an apology and Ichigo could wait.

"Hinamori-chan," he said softly, and felt more than saw Ichigo grow focused and rein his emotion in. It was gratifying that when circumstances dictated he could be as restrained as Hitsugaya really did need him to be.

"Toshiro… How could you?" He opened his mouth to explain, to try and say something. Only nothing seemed to come out. Mischief had been replaced by a blank look on Matsumoto's face, but she was gently steering Nemu out of the room. Ichigo turned to Hitsugaya, silently asking if he wanted him to leave. Hitsugaya shook his head, Ichigo was a part of his life, for better or worse he wanted Ichigo there.

"Please, Hinamori, come in." The door closed behind the youthful looking girl as Matsumoto left. Hinamori stiffly walked over to an armchair and sat down, her posture rigid and her eyes choked with emotion.

"I—I am not quite sure where I should begin."

"How about you start with telling me when exactly you decided that I wasn't important enough for you tell me—tell me that you'd fallen in love?" There was so much hurt and anger in her voice that Hitsugaya felt her words like physical blows. He was not used to emotional pain like this, and it left his heart feeling raw and his throat feeling tight and cold. Strong arms encircled him from behind, and Ichigo glowered at Hinamori while resting his chin on Hitsugaya's shoulder. He wished that Ichigo wouldn't look at Hinamori like that, but at the same time it felt so good, so very good to have someone defend him so.

Because if it was one thing that really, truly made his relationship with Ichigo so different from his others, was that Ichigo was his equal. Oh to be sure, the boy was no genius, but he was definitely smart and very quick in his own fashion. But what's more, Ichigo was his equal in power. IN all fairness, Ichigo was far more powerful than Hitsugaya, but Hitsugaya knew kidou and other valuable skills that Ichigo completely lacked. They complimented each other in their abilities, and all of that together meant that Ichigo didn't make demands on Hitsugaya. He didn't demand protection, he didn't demand service, he didn't demand paperwork, and he didn't demand responsibility. He just wanted to make Hitsugaya feel good, both physically and mentally (although in Ichigo's the book the two were related). Even Hinamori, for all that he loved her dearly, demanded that he be strong, that he nurture and care for her and even now that she was over what Aizen had done to her, healed enough to be herself again, she still demanded protection because she was fragile. It wasn't even fair to label them "demands," because to her credit, Hinamori did not entreat him to protect her. It was his nature, his history with her and the fact that he was someone who wanted to—no—needed to protect people. He could no more ignore Hinamori's needs than he could ignore eating (the part of his mind that never seemed to be on-focus felt that "breathing" would have been better, but unfortunately breathing was something he didn't exactly think about).

Through no fault of her own, Hinamori's presence and condition made demands of Hitsugaya. Telling her was risking upsetting a delicate mental balance that had only recently been restored. He hadn't wanted to risk it, but this was much worse.

"It's not like that, Momo, it's that—I didn't want to cause you undo stress, I didn't want you to possibly feel threatened or jealous, or just unbalanced in any fashion," he said slowly. There was no point in further lying at this time, honesty, however potentially painful, was the only respectable course. Hinamori's flushed cheeks told him he had chosen correctly, even if it meant that he was right about the pain.

"You thought I was too weak to handle you falling in love?" When she put it that way, he winced.

"That's not really fair, he has good reason to be afraid for your mental state," Ichigo said bluntly. Hitsugaya closed his eyes and tried to count to 5, he didn't think he'd make it to 10 no matter how hard he tried. Hinamori turned a furious red.

"You don't know anything that you're talking about," she said venomously.

"You're wrong, I do know. I know exactly what it's like to lose your mind, to not be in control of your actions, to actually have someone else, someone evil and powerful, control your actions, and take your freedom from you. I know because I have a hollow, inside of me. He actually is me, my hollow self. And he would like nothing better than to crack open my mind and take my body for his own whims and pleasures. He is a violent sadist who is capable of possibly killing everything he comes across." Hinamori's eyes had gone wide and her anger had left her. Hitsugaya stared wide-eyed at Ichigo. He had honestly never expected the other boy to talk about his hollow self; it had taken Hitsugaya a long time to get the entire story, even if he knew the gist from living in the real world.

"When Toshiro and I first started…going out, I was in the throes of a battle with my hollow self, trying to master it. And for a while, our relationship was pretty self-destructive. Toshiro had decided that I needed to be without distraction, and without any possible worry. So he refused to talk to me anything important, and he refused to show weakness or fear in front of me." Ichigo sighed.

"It infuriated me that I didn't learn anything about him, despite telling him so many things about myself. But he kept silent. I grew so angry with him, I wanted to fight him, beat him, and my hollow side tried to take advantage. But my anger was powerful, and my focus and fighting intent were clear and honed. I had no fear in my heart at that moment, because my attention was focused on someone who I saw as fearless, and someone who was enraging me. And that anger, that focus helped me. And even though a part of me still wishes you hadn't done that, Toshiro, I don't think I could have handled it. You were right." Hitsugaya's mouth hung slightly open, and then an expression crossed his face that was so full of tenderness, Hinamori had to look away. The two stared into each other's eyes, and Ichigo's sad smile melted into the warmth of Hitsugaya's loving acceptance.

"Maybe, maybe it would have been too, disruptive, I just wish—I wish you would trust me Toshiro. I had to find out from Matsumoto telling us all that you were—gay." Oh he was definitely going to poison his vice-captain.

"I'm sorry, Hinamori, I really truly am. I meant to keep it from everyone."

"I didn't think I was an everyone to you."

"I don't mean it like that, listen, I'm not speaking very well today, I was… for lack of a better word, outed at a captaincy meeting after being threatened with treason by Yamamoto-sotaicho," he said. Hinamori's eyes went wide and her mouth formed a small O. But the hairs on the back of his neck were raised and he could feel Ichigo's reiatsu growing thick and hot around them. He hadn't told Ichigo about that yet, he'd meant to do it later, when it might not enrage the shinigami representative. Salvation once again came in the form of an unusual person.

"Ichigo, are you and short stuff done fuckin' yet? I wanna fight," came a bellow from the hallway. Hitsugaya had never really been happy in a situation where someone made fun of his height, so this was a first. Only Zaraki Kenpachi could manage something like that. Ichigo and Hinamori both looked stunned.

"Ken-chan, how do Ichy Ichy and Shiro-chan fuck?" Hitsugaya felt his eyes widen, he could not be hearing this.

"Well, I reckon that Ichy Ichy puts it in Shiro-chan's—" Zaraki drawled and Hitsugaya didn't feel himself break down the door and try to slice open the older shinigami's throat but his sword was being blocked only just enough to prevent him from doing more than scoring a light bloody line on Zaraki's neck.

"You're fast, I like it." Suddenly Ichigo was between them.

"Uh-uh, no way. Not going to happen. You can have him only after I'm done with him." Zaraki sighed wearily.

"That fucking does it, you don't get shit tonight, either of you,' Hitsugaya snapped. Both men drew back in horror.

"Shiro-chan is mean," Yachiru added as a carefully thought out observation. The group stood in the doorway, framed like a tableau vivante, except with more travesty involved. The tableau was broken by soft giggled, muffled by one hand. Hinamori was laughing at them, and suddenly Hitsugaya could relax again.

"I'm sorry, Toshiro," she said walking over, "but promise to tell me everything later, okay?"

"Of course."

"Thank you. And Kurosaki-kun, play nice, okay?" Ichigo smiled brazenly and Hitsugaya frowned at Hinamori's cheeky grin.

"Trust me, I'm very gentle with my lovely Shiro-chan," he said, every word laced with a smirk. Hitsugaya casually backhanded him in the gut, with more than a little bit of spirit energy in the move. Ichigo gasped as the wind was knocked out of him. Hinamori took off running, her giggles drifting back to them like musical bells. Yachiru shouted in delight and chased after her.

"Che, so you two are gonna rut now, ain't ye?" Hitsugaya and Ichigo blinked at Zaraki.

"That's the oddest way I've heard it referred to today," the shorter boy said in the way people do when they're thinking out loud. Zaraki shrugged.

"Well, are ye or can we fight?" Ichigo shook his head and pointed to the door.

"Yeah, if it's all right with you, I wanna fuck my boyfriend, Kenpachi." The 11th squad captain sighed with disappointment.

"Che, suit yourself. You come find me before you leave, Ichigo, or I'll come find you next time no matter what you're doing." With that he turned and left, closing the door behind him.

"Over my dead body," Hitsugaya muttered to the departed captain. Ichigo chuckled behind him, only to have to bite off a cough.

"Did you have to hit me so hard?"

"Yes, as a matter of fact, I did," said Hitsugaya.

"Bastard."

"Shut up, Ichigo." And then to make sure Ichigo did shut up, he kissed him. Ichigo murmured his appreciation into Hitsugaya's mouth and things would have progressed rapidly except that Hitsugaya broke the kiss.

"We're going to my quarters, the office is not an appropriate place for this." Ichigo grinned, and before Hitsugaya could protest, he picked up him up, cradling the smaller shinigami in his arms.

"Put me down this instant," Hitsugaya said coldly, but Ichigo just kept grinning and then gave his boyfriend's bare stomach a raspberry. Hitsugaya began to thrash about, and to his dismay he laughed. It tickled entirely too much and he was helpless in Ichigo's arms under his vibrating lips.

"Stop, Ichigo, stop—please—Ichigo, stop," he gasped between incapacitating laughter. Finally Ichigo relented and smiled at the irritated armful of boy.

"I hate you," Hitsugaya said.

"I love you too, baby." That did it. Hitsugaya grabbed Ichigo by the sides of his head and forced his face up to give him full access to his neck. The place where Ichigo's neck met his collarbone was the most erogenous spot on his body, excepting those areas intended for sex. Sure enough Ichigo went weak at the knees and groaned as Hitsugaya sucked greedily, until his legs actually collapsed and he fell into a kneeling position, helplessly clutching his shirtless boyfriend.

Hitsugaya put his feet on the floor and then shoved Ichigo to the ground. Ichigo lay there, staring up at him with dilated pupils and the sort of intense look he usually saved for combat.

"Get up," Hitsugaya said and then without looking he rearranged his captain's robe and walked out of his office. Ichigo followed behind him, and Hitsugaya didn't even have to turn to look, he knew that the orange-haired boy was trailing him with a look of intense lust. Thankfully his rooms were in the same building as his office, unlike some of the other divisions where the captain's quarters were with his subordinates. Hitsugaya opened the door, and indicated Ichigo should go inside. Hitsugaya followed him inside and turned to the door, locking it and then casting a minor spell to keep it sealed.

He turned around to see that Ichigo was gone. He wondered if he was in the bathroom or the bedroom.

"Bedroom, Toshiro," came his voice from Hitsugaya's room. Hitsugaya opened the door to see Ichigo standing by the bed, already stark naked. The dim evening moonlight filtered in through the blinds of the windows, casting Ichigo in relief with intense darkness and pale light. Hitsugaya took a moment to admire the view, and to savor the fact that it was all his.

Dark sable eyes watched him carefully, so Hitsugaya began to slowly remove his clothes. Ichigo's expression became progressively hungrier as Hitsugaya took his time, gently inching his haori off, undoing his sash and then letting gravity pull his pants down so very teasingly.

"Bastard, you're going to drive me crazy."

"I was given to understand that turnabout is fair play."

"Well, all is fair in love and war." Ichigo took Hitsugaya into his arms and bent his head to capture the other boy's lips. Hitsugaya wrapped his arms around Ichigo's torso, silently bemoaning his boyfriend's greatly superior height. The extra foot of difference was annoying at times, but it didn't make much of a difference when they were lying down.

With a gesture Hitsugaya dimmed the lights, and then pulled Ichigo down onto his very large bed. Except that once they were on the bed, Ichigo got on top of Hitsugaya and placed a hand on the boy's chest. Hitsugaya looked up at him questioningly after they separated from a kiss.

"Ichigo?"

"You've had a rough day, let me make it better." Hitsugaya's eyes widened as Ichigo spread his knees slightly and took a firm grip of Hitsugaya's erection.

"You…"

"I had planned on visiting you later today actually, so I was already prepared when I got the butterfly. Now you just relax," he said with a lecherous grin, "and let me do the work." Hitsugaya would have opened his mouth to respond, except suddenly he was inside Ichigo and there were no words, just a raw sexual heat and pleasure that grabbed his entire body, his entire focus, and left him immobilized. He heard a voice rasping for breath and realized it was his own. Ichigo's feet were on either side of his head, and the smiling boy was resting on one hand while the other took care of himself.

"You feel good, Toshiro," he said.

"Oh god, Ichigo you are—" Hitsugaya started only to have Ichigo fucking bounce and_ oh dear god in heaven when the fuck did he learn to clench like that?_ Hitsugaya's arms and legs flexed as he tried to restrain himself from jumping up into Ichigo as the other boy started a steady rhythm. His toes curled and he clutched the bed sheet, his neck would get a crick if he kept watching Ichigo, but the sight was too incredible to ignore. Just watching his own skin vanish into Ichigo's body, to see the expression on Ichigo's face and watch his Adam's apple bob up and down in his throat as he gasped for air, all of it was nearly too much. His body, which had felt so tense and terrible, now was subject to a bliss that made him feel like water had replaced his muscles. He quivered and gasped and was at the complete mercy of the boy who was—oh, Ichigo was—_oooooooh_…

"You like that, Toshiro," he said breathlessly as he rode the white-haired boy.

"More, just—fuck—please more—Ichigo please," Hitsugaya begged and Ichigo complied. He could feel it building now, the feeling of orgasm that swept through his brain and from the soles of his feet. Waves that built and swept forwards to center on his groin, only to pool up and seemingly pull his entire body, his entire mind into the heat and the feeling of being clenched so tightly he was being pulled into Ichigo, becoming a part of the boy above him. With a violent shudder and cry, he practically exploded inside of Ichigo. The other boy followed soon after, and Hitsugaya felt heat land on his chest and dribble onto his stomach. For a second they were both stilled, except for Ichigo who was still bouncing slightly. The sensation of continued movement on his exhausted member almost drove him to distraction, like sensory overload.

"Feel a bit better, Toshiro?" Few people could make Hitsugaya smile completely without any guarding his expression, and whenever Ichigo managed it Hitsugaya knew that the other boy felt warm in his heart. He'd told him that, once, when trying to convince Hitsugaya to smile more. Hitsugaya had responded that if Ichigo didn't have to work so hard to make him smile, then the smiles would be less significant. Of course Ichigo had said something along the lines of "even if your only expression to me was a smile, I'd still cherish each one," and then Hitsugaya had no choice but to flush like a virgin being touched for the first time, despite the line being unbearably cheesy.

_I wonder if anyone else knows that Ichigo is such a romantic? Or that I'm a sucker for that crap…_ It had something to do with the boy's admiration for Shakespeare, if Hitsugaya was any judge. Instead of answering Ichigo, he looked the other boy in the eye and dragged a finger across his chest. Then he lifted his hand to his mouth, and sucked on his finger. It tasted bitter and salty, not something that Hitsugaya actually enjoyed, but then again that wasn't the purpose of the display. The purpose was to watch Ichigo's face as it tightened with raw lust as Hitsugaya sucked his boyfriend's seed from his finger, lavishing obvious attention on it and swirling his tongue around the tip. He spent almost a minute before he finished, carefully observing Ichigo's tense demeanor.

"I had a rather enjoyable time, yes. I didn't know you missed me so much you were planning to visit anyways. Thank you," Hitsugaya said softly.

"All days are nights to see, till I see thee; and nights bright days when dreams do show thee me," Ichigo quoted in English. "Sonnet 43."

"Mmm," Hitsugaya responded, he really did enjoy Ichigo's habit of reciting literature to him. Ichigo levered himself off of the smaller shinigami and offered his hand to Hitsugaya. The captain let Ichigo pull him up and press their naked bodies together for another kiss. It was a leisurely kiss, with their tongues gently caressing each other, without aggressively trying to wrestle the other into sexual submission. They separated slowly and almost regretfully, Hitsugaya resting his head on Ichigo's chest.

"How about a shower and then some sleep, I have school tomorrow," Ichigo said. Hitsugaya nodded, his face pressed against soft skin stretched over firm muscle. After cleaning up, which was interrupted by what was crudely (in Hitsugaya's opinion) called "round 2" by Ichigo, the two got into Hitsugaya's rather large bed. Ichigo promptly grabbed Hitsugaya and pulled him into his body, wrapping his arms around the other boy and placing a kiss on the back of his head. Hitsugaya smiled and inched back, pressing himself against Ichigo's body as firmly as he could.

"Good night, Toshiro."

"Good night, Ichigo." Hitsugaya felt another kiss on the outside of his ear. The two drifted into sleep as one, their bodies as close as they could manage, one of Ichigo's legs curled around Hitsugaya's, Hitsugaya's hand resting atop the hand that was snaked around his chest. They breathed as one person, and the ease with which they slept was a welcome change for both of them during this time of war.

End Note: Next time, lechery abounds as the various captains begin to investigate the relationship. And if Hitsugaya and Ichigo think they're bad, wait till they flee to the real world and have to deal with—duh duh duh—Ichigo's family and the Urahara Shop! Not to mention Keigo, just because I can.


	2. The Legislative Branch

Disclaimer: I own nothing. Done and done.

A/N—I'd like to thank everyone who reviewed, this is for you guys. As to complaints about the captain meeting, I can only say that it was done on purpose, because the consequences of Hitsugaya's actions begin to appear in this chapter. If more of you think it would be more in character to have more conflict in the initial scene, I'll adjust it.

The Legislative Branch

Ichigo didn't typically wake before Toshiro when they slept together. Whenever he did wake first, he enjoyed it despite waking up before he had to. One of his favorite things to do with Toshiro (aside from fucking, of course) was simply to watch him sleep. When Toshiro slept, every line on his face disappeared, his guard went down and Ichigo thought he looked god damned beautiful.

No fucking way was he going to school today.

He couldn't quite say what had woken him, it might have been the light streaming through the window, the slightly itch he felt on his nose, or just because he'd happened to wake at that time. Regardless of the reason, he was pleased to be up before Toshiro, especially since it meant he got to look at the white-haired boy as much as he wanted. His naked body was curled around a pillow, not quite in the fetal position, the coverlet drawn up so that only his cherubic face and tuft of ivory hair was visible. Ichigo had one arm folded so that his hand was under the pillow supporting his head, and Toshiro's head was resting on his arm. Reaching over with his other arm he stroked Toshiro's hair very softly, trying not to wake him. Restful sleep could be a difficult commodity in Soul Society for a captain even during peaceful times. It was a testimony to how exhausted and stressed Toshiro had been yesterday that he'd actually asked Ichigo for a back rub. Normally Ichigo had to read the unspoken desire, and then offer.

Toshiro could at times be an almost unbearably complicated person. The refusal to engage in public displays of affection was one thing; Ichigo could understand it to a certain degree. But Toshiro's reluctance to ask for help, with anything and everything, after all they had been through together, was baffling. There was no correlation between being perceived as a child and asking for help, but then again, Ichigo wasn't exactly innocent on that charge either. They could both learn to lean on each other more, and they both would, if Ichigo had anything to say about it.

All of the pain and stress that Toshiro had been subject to yesterday had seemingly vanished from him, and he had done that. He had taken the pain and hardship Toshiro had to deal with on a daily basis, and for this short bit of time, he had taken it from the young captain. Happiness warmed a part of Ichigo that had taken him years to grow back. The death of his mother had left him feeling so empty for so long… The love of his friends had gradually been reopening that spot, but it had taken the arrival of Rukia, his life turning upside to really break through the wall he had created around his heart. Toshiro's arrival in his life had basically bulldozed what Rukia and his friends had already begun.

Karin and Yuzu had begun to comment about his expressions, saying that he was scowling less and smiling more. Several times he'd caught Karin telling Yuzu: "Ichi-ni has discovered girls is all, that's why he's so happy." To be fair, Karin was partially right, he had discovered someone who was making him happy. He'd found a lot of people who were making him happy actually, but there was nothing feminine about Toshiro. The boy was all hard muscle and lithe masculine beauty.

Toshiro stirred slightly, murmuring in his sleep. Ichigo sighed at the boy in front of him. Strong emotions were familiar enough to Ichigo, but the sort of reciprocation Toshiro gave to him was in some ways frightening. To have intensity of emotion was one thing, but knowing that he inspired feelings of the same intensity in another person was intimidating, even if Toshiro went to great lengths to cover it up. He'd never dreamed it was possible to feel so close to someone that he could be afraid of losing himself. Ichigo knew that he would do anything for Toshiro, and his devotion seemed something that was almost separate from his own self. It was as if there was something in his mind, in his soul, that didn't belong to him, it belonged solely to Toshiro.

Love really was fucking paradoxical. He was afraid that he felt too deeply for Toshiro, but he also willingly gave himself over to the captain. Thinking of how he made Toshiro feel was like a drug, it intoxicated him to the point of physical pleasure. To know that his presence was a balm to the overworked shinigami's spirit made his heart feel warm, creating a satisfaction that was buried deep in his bones and radiated through his entire body.

Toshiro shifted slightly, stretching under the silky sheets. The coverlet pulled down slightly, exposing his chest, a slender expanse of smooth ivory skin, dotted with two pink nipples and defined lines of musculature. Ichigo resisted (but just barely) the urge to lean over and began licking. Morning breath was something Toshiro hated with a brilliant passion, and a tongue bath, however tasty the boy looked, would certainly wake him up with a scowl about how Ichigo smelled.

Ichigo lifted his head and looked for a clock. Sure enough there was one on the nightstand, a digital alarm clock that was displaying 10:23. Considering that Ichigo had never known Toshiro to sleep past 9:00 or so, unless he was recovering from severe injuries, he was a bit worried.

Remembering what Toshiro had told him yesterday, Ichigo closed his eyes and tried to suppress his anger. Between the goddamned captain general seeking to control him, and hurting Toshiro in the process, he was tempted to go say something (and by say he meant engage in some good old fashioned property damage). Ichigo's thought process paused. To say something—actually say, not fight with—to the old man; that might be the best course of action.

Toshiro would probably stop him, if he knew what Ichigo intended. He'd have to sneak away from the small captain at some point, but that could come later. Toshiro did need him (and who the hell had sent that butterfly anyways?) and he would be there as long as the white-haired boy's need for him was.

A warm hand was suddenly grabbing a fistful of Ichigo in his most sensitive spot, and he looked up to see his barely awake boyfriend. Toshiro smiled, and despite being half asleep it was a smile that would seduce saints and make angels fall from grace, or so Ichigo imagined. The pillow between their bodies was shoved out of the way as Toshiro removed any distances that existed twixt their two bodies.

"Good morning," Ichigo said. Toshiro just hummed and buried his face in the crook of Ichigo's neck. Ichigo closed his eyes and just lay there, soaking in the feeling of being close with the other boy, the freedom they had to be as close as they wanted, with no one or nothing to disturb them.

"Good morning, Hitsugaya-taicho, and good morning to you too, Ichigo," Matsumoto Rangiku appeared in the room as if by magic, with a tray in her arms, and Ichigo felt Toshiro go completely tense in his arms, even as he practically jumped in shock. Ichigo glared at Matsumoto, the last thing she should be doing was adding to Toshiro's stress. The vice-captain ignored him with the benefit of years of practice with ignoring Toshiro's glares.

"I took the liberty of ordering you both a breakfast and took care of your paperwork for the day, Hitsugaya-taicho. Your schedule is completely clear until the afternoon, I've moved around all your other duties for the day." Toshiro pushed himself up off of Ichigo to stare at his vice-captain, while Ichigo blinked. He knew that Matsumoto hated anything that even resembled work. For her to have done all this… She must have been feeling very guilty about the previous day.

"I—thank you, Matsumoto," Toshiro said slowly, awestruck enough to not be enraged over her presence in his bedroom, yet. The buxom woman cleared her throat nervously.

"Don't thank me just yet, captain, I have a bit of bad news. Another captain meeting has been called, with all attending adjutants, and—well—Ichigo's attendance is requested as well." Ichigo raised an eyebrow and Toshiro immediately frowned as they turned to look at each other. Both of them paid no attention to the female shinigami, who took that as an excellent signal to leave, after putting the tray of food down on a small desk Toshiro had set up against the wall opposite his bed, next to the sliding closet door.

"What does he think he's doing?" The white haired shinigami muttered, the "he" in questions could only be the captain-general. Ichigo laid a hand on his slender bare shoulder. Toshiro's skin was warm and soft, but beneath the skin he could feel powerfully tight muscles, a strength that belied how the boy before him was as deadly as he was beautiful.

In Ichigo's mind, this qualified as fucking hot.

"Whatever it is, I can handle it." Toshiro glared at him, but really, Ichigo was confident that even if he was outright attacked by the captain commander, he could give the old man a bit more than he expected. Overpowering the most pre-eminent warrior in Soul Society would be a bit much, but if he surprised the old man with how powerful his hollow form's bankai was, he might be able to nail him. This was all purely hypothetical, of course. He doubted it would come to anything resembling combat, but it could get messy all the same. Realistically, at a meeting with all the captains and adjutants, he'd be lucky to be fast enough to pull a suicide overload with reiatsu.

"Don't be so foolish, Ichigo, there is a reason the captain commander can order the captains around, the same reason Aizen never directly challenged the old man." Ichigo resisted the urge to roll his eyes, as he knew how much it pissed him off, and Toshiro typically reacted even more strongly than he did to being mocked.

"I know that, Toshiro, but there's also a reason he's afraid of me," Ichigo said smugly (after all, no reason why he couldn't display a little derision). Unfortunately it went just far enough because Toshiro looked at him the way a teacher would look at a particularly dumb student who only wasted the time of people around him. A very contemptuous glare.

"You shouldn't say things like that." Time for an explanation that would mollify his Shiro-chan. _Thank god I can at least say it inside my head safely. The only time it's safe to try calling him that is during immediate post sex cuddling, and he has to have been on top. Or if I wanna piss him off._ Ichigo squashed the reckless grin that wanted to cross his face.

"Yeah, I know. I'm just angry that I'm thought of as some sort of mindless variable, instead of as a person. It's not something I can easily forgive," He said. It wasn't a lie, he honestly did feel that way, but there was also the fact that it wasn't arrogance if it was truth. He had the raw power, and he knew it. Toshiro knew it too, but Toshiro also knew that he held the reins, to a certain extent. Ichigo had only a few people who could reach him like Toshiro did, mostly just Rukia, Chad and his family.

Toshiro looked as if he was about to speak, clearly ready to continue the discussion, but Ichigo's stomach made an embarrassingly loud rumbling noise. His cheeks felt hot and he knew he was blushing a bit, it had almost felt like the bed had moved as his tummy rumbled. _Heh, tummy rumble._

Seeing the possessive affectionate and amused look it brought to his boyfriend's face erased any feelings of negativity. Apparently Toshiro thought he was cute. _Score 10 points for me, a good start to the day, I might add._

"Let's see what Matsumoto brought for us," the smaller shinigami said, sliding out of the bed, and grabbing a well-worn robe from a chair. Complaining about his vice-captain was one of Toshiro's favorite activities, but it was pretty obvious to Ichigo that Matsumoto cared for her captain a great deal. Even if her behavior yesterday had been borderline unacceptable, Toshiro had pointed out that they were engaged in wildly inappropriate behavior in a very inappropriate place. Kuchiki Byakuya wasn't the only stickler for honesty in the Gotei 13, Hitsugaya Toshiro believed in the truth just as deeply.

Ichigo didn't give a flying fuck one way or another, as long as Toshiro was happy.

"You should bring that food over here," Ichigo said. Toshiro gave him a long measuring look.

"Not in the bed, Kurosaki." Toshiro only called him by his last name if they were fighting, just before he would start calling him "Ichigo" in a way that made his heart feel like lead so cold it burned. Or when he was teasing him. Since he was reasonably sure they weren't in the middle of an epic fight, and Toshiro's face was completely blank, he'd wager it was the latter. All the same, he saw Zangetsu atop Hyorinmaru, both swords leaning against the wall. Hyorinmaru was almost as tall as Zangetsu, but was clearly dwarfed by the much broader sword. The swords appeared to be almost spooning with each other, and Zangetsu was clearly the "big spoon." A very powerful, dangerous looking "big spoon." _Spoon. Spoon. That's almost as funny sounding as "tummy rumble."_

"Fine," he said and flipped back the various pieces of bedding to shove himself out of the warm comfort. He walked over to Toshiro, well aware that he was completely naked, and very well aware that Toshiro was watching him quite intently. Walking behind Toshiro, he stopped and moved forward to lean over his shoulder and examining what Matsumoto had brought. The fact that his body fit against Toshiro's perfectly, that he could feel every inch of the arch in his back and the smooth firm curve of his ass, was simply a bonus of sorts.

Toshiro had picked up a pastry and took a nibble out of it. It had some sort of fruit filling, and looked quite tasty. Toshiro craned his neck upwards to look at Ichigo; his eyes sparkled in the soft morning light like rare precious stones.

"Did you want something?" Ichigo felt his eye twitch.

"Are you joking?"

"Of course not, part of being a captain is sacrificing your sense of humor." Ichigo grinned at Toshiro. One of the things about Soul Society that had baffled Ichigo was how the general populace of both Shinigami and Ryoka treated the captains and even the vice-captains as gods, or at least god-like beings. Fear and awe trailed those with immense spirit power in Soul Society, so it was understandable that the captains became somewhat aloof over time. Being treated like a deity was okay for some, and Ukitake was so kind that all felt at ease in his presence, however most of the captains simply tried to ignore the way they were viewed. Over the years their ability to interact with others could practically deteriorate, or so it seemed to Ichigo.

As an example, Toshiro had a brilliantly sarcastic sense of humor, one that was rarely seen except by his vice-captain. The general derision he displayed to world was an extension of that, because people didn't expect wry observations from a captain, they assumed the captain would be contemptuous. Pretending to be dismissive of those around him was expected of Toshiro, and despite the façade he displayed, he really was rather sensitive to how others perceived him. With the added burden of being the youngest member of the highest class of warrior in the Court of Pure Souls, it was no wonder that his prickly exterior matched the stereotype people expected of captains.

"Here," Toshiro said, as he opened his closet to pull out a long worn-looking blue robe. "Put this on before you catch a chill." Ichigo caught the robe as Toshiro threw it to him, and slipped it on. It felt like soft cotton, and reached to just below his knees.

"Where did you get this?" he asked curiously. It was far too large for the young man standing before him.

"The previous captain left some of his belongings from when he disappeared. I decided that throwing away perfectly usable clothing items was foolish. A good decision, don't you think?" Satisfaction practically dripped from Toshiro and Ichigo had to smile at how even being right about the smallest things brought happiness to the short captain.

"It's very comfortable."

"If you want it, it's yours."

"Thank you, Toshiro." He circled his arms around Toshiro and kissed him on the forehead.

"Mmm… Sit down, Ichigo." The orange-haired shinigami raised an eyebrow.

"There's only one chair, though, why don't I go get another one?"

"Because you are a seat, moron. Now sit." Prompt obedience was something Ichigo rarely gave to Toshiro, but every now and then he would comply without argument to the boy's desires (and even ignore Toshiro's version of a pet name). He sat down in the chair, practically flopping into it, his robe open and displaying his naked body for the world, but mostly just Toshiro, to see. Teeth that shone as white as his snow-like hair smiled at him, before Toshiro turned and took a gently seat in Ichigo's lap. After moving a bit to get more comfortable, and quite frankly to move Ichigo's erection so it wasn't pinned uncomfortably under Toshiro's body, Toshiro picked up the pastry he had been nibbling on, and half turned so he could feed it to Ichigo.

The two ate breakfast slowly, and Ichigo relished the opportunity to just be with Toshiro. Away from the opinions and expectations of others, Toshiro was open about his emotions and displayed affection without any restraint. It had taken Ichigo a while to get Toshiro to feel this comfortable around him; the start of their relationship had been fraught with peril, and not just the sort that had to do with life and death. Reluctance to be open with affection had been one of the things that had almost killed their relationship before it could even get off the ground.

Happily enough, they'd overcome that particularly obstacle, along with several others. After spending a good 45 minutes feeding each other slowly and exchanging several long and comforting kisses (apparently morning breath could be covered up quite effectively with sweets) Toshiro reluctantly got up.

"We should get cleaned up," he said. Ichigo darted forward to lick a crumb off of the stomach that was standing so tantalizingly close to him. Toshiro could not stop a giggle from coming out of his mouth before he twisted away from Ichigo's mouth. His face was twisted up in a deep scowl; the same scowl that always made the low portion of Ichigo's spine tingle slightly.

"Kurosaki," he growled, his voice was thick with displeasure. Ichigo was probably the only person in existence who knew exactly where Toshiro was ticklish, and what made him giggle like a small child, two facts that would get most people killed should they exploit even one of them. Ichigo sighed and he knew his face was doing his patented sulking frown, the one that managed not to be too surly so people didn't complain. Ichigo had an entire repertoire of unhappy faces to choose from at will.

"Okay, I'll be good, I promise. And I'm sorry." Toshiro looked at him as if he were Byakuya scrutinizing some obnoxiously tasteless piece of art. He sniffed with as much disdain as he could manage, and turned away from Ichigo.

"Your apology is accepted, now be a good boy and go turn the hot water on. It's time to shower." Ichigo grinned and dropped his robe to walk naked into the bathroom. Needless to say, it took the two of them another hour before they were actually clean and out of the shower.

"So what do you wanna do today?" Ichigo asked as he straightened out his robes. Toshiro was smoothing the front of his white captain's robe

"I think we should make a visit to a few of the other captains. I have a bad feeling about the meeting later today, and it'd be advantageous if we had solidly defined support before entering."

"You make it sound like we're gonna have to fight or something."

"I don't expect anything of the sort, however it would be imprudent to assume that we would have support again should Yamamoto-sotaicho try to…" Toshiro paused, looking for a word.

"Try to fucking control me, you mean?"

"I hope you can hold your tongue better when we're in the actual meeting."

"Yeah, yeah, whatever."

"Not 'whatever,' Ichigo, it's important that you are able to practice discretion in this meeting."

"It'll be okay, Toshiro, I promise."

"Idiot, don't make promises you can't keep."

"I never break a promise, you should know that about me by now."

"You're insufferable, you know that?"

"Che, you just don't appreciate me. And you underestimate me, I can take care of myself you know."

"I'm well aware of your capabilities, but I also know you well enough to anticipate the area that you may need correction in for a circumstance like this one."

"Okay, so what do I need to correct Mr. Anticipator?" Ichigo sneered, leaning forward to put his face closer to Toshiro's. Invading Toshiro's personal space was always a risky gambit when the situation wasn't strictly appropriate, at least according to the white-haired boy's definition of appropriate. Pushing his face to within kissing distance of Toshiro's and sneering was begging to have Toshiro make the temperature of the room shift to the cooler side of the thermometer. Except that Toshiro did not even bat an eye, and no emotion moved across his face.

"You need to learn to control yourself, or else you will show weakness to the other captains. If you can't do it, we need to start practicing now." Ichigo straightened up and scrunched his eyes shut, tensing his face and letting his feelings fade from his body. He visualized himself as being next to his feelings, and when he opened his eyes, he was satisfied to see that Toshiro had nodded approvingly at him.

"Apparently you do have a modicum of self-control, Kurosaki," Toshiro said coldly. Ichigo didn't flinch, but under his calm façade he felt angry and hurt. Verbal harassment was something that Toshiro was exceedingly good at, and not just because all captains were masters of various interrogation techniques. Keeping emotional turmoil clear of his face was something that he could do very well, but he was embarrassingly aware that if Toshiro hadn't told him to bury his feelings, he probably wouldn't have.

"Thank you," he said, relaxing his face to show a rueful but honest gratitude. After just a few months of being truly intimate, he knew Toshiro well enough to understand when he needed to put his own emotions aside and apologize (either a verbal one or with his actions, Toshiro would accept both). Both of them were prideful and although it was a very good trait for the battlefield, it made navigating the bedroom a bit like the battlefield, which in the long run was decidedly unhealthy. Sure enough, Toshiro's face relaxed as well, but he surprised Ichigo when his face's irritation continued to melt away until he wore a soft smile.

_This shouldn't feel this intense. Why does he make me feel so strongly when I feel like I barely know him?_ All the same, there was no stopping his body or his heart from growing warm as he looked at the short captain. Captains in the Court of Pure Souls were rarely jovial in public; even those who were decidedly more casual were not indiscriminate with their smiles and joy. There were exceptions, but Ukitake was just that kind of man, and Unohana-taicho was too good a healer to not use every single tool she possibly had at her disposal. Toshiro wasn't miserly with his affections, but he was a restrained individual.

_It's a damn shame he doesn't smile more often._ Toshiro's smiles matched his personality, they weren't showy or overly demonstrative, but they were genuine and heartfelt. His lips curved enough to pull back and reveal white teeth that seemed to capture light and glow, anchoring his features, and contrasting with his magnificently brilliant turquoise irises. Those eyes shown with affection and contentment that struck a chord deep in Ichigo's body and drew a smile on his face to match Toshiro's.

Even after all they had been through, everything that they had done to each other and, quite frankly, all the sex they'd had, and Toshiro stilled seemed hesitant to reach out and grasp Ichigo's hand. To an outsider it would look as if the smaller shinigami was afraid that the taller one would reject his affection, but Ichigo knew the truth of the matter. He squeezed Toshiro's hand and moved forward to place his other hand on the small of Toshiro's back.

As he bent to kiss the white-haired captain, he mused on how Toshiro was still so unused to being affectionate that he looked as if he were afraid to. Although bending his taller frame down to kiss Toshiro had been uncomfortable at first, the amount of time Toshiro had spent in the living world and subject to the energy there had aged his spirit form faster than he would have in Soul Society. It hadn't done more than gain him half an inch, but Ichigo had become used to it and Toshiro had vowed to spend more time in the real world if it would make him grow a bit faster (Ichigo had postulated that sex might have been the cause as well, and that they needed to take that into account and have as much sex as possible while Toshiro was in the real world).

The incentives to journey to the real world were high indeed.

"So, what do you want to do before we go through hell?" Ichigo asked, trying his best to keep his tone light. Toshiro rolled his eyes but didn't frown.

"Even if Matsumoto took care of the day's paperwork, I should still stop by the office before we do anything else."

"Do you mind if I run off for a bit? There are a few other people I'd like to see."

"You can do as you wish, I take it you're going to find Abarai and Kuchiki Rukia?"

"Uh, yeah, I have some messages for Rukia from people on earth. Oh, that reminds me," he reached into his robes and fished out a bright pink envelope with sparkles and stickers all over it. Toshiro eyed it warily as Ichigo handed to him with a grin on his face.

"I take it this is from Orihime?" Ichigo just nodded and watched eagerly as Toshiro opened the letter. Sweet perfume practically assaulted them from the confines of the envelope, and as Toshiro unfolded the pink paper he couldn't quite disguise his distaste.

"What does she say?" he asked after a moment. Toshiro was reading the letter with all the attention he gave to an important document. Inoue Orihime had the ability to penetrate the heart of just about any person she came across (the amount of change she'd inspired in Aizen's arrancar was practically frightening) and Toshiro was no exception. The diminutive captain never allowed people to get close as a rule, but between his relationship with Ichigo, living with Orihime, the grudging respect that he shared with the Quincy and the fact that he quite approved of the large, quiet and polite Sado, he found himself creating more bonds with others than he had in decades.

Time passed more slowly in Soul Society, not because of some bizarre temporal flux, but simply because the dead had a different set of priorities from the living. Although their world was overflowing with spirit particles, the lack of a living body and the real vital energies of the living world meant that their souls couldn't grow as radically as a living soul, part of why Ichigo had shot up by leaps and bounds beyond what took most shinigami a century to achieve. But it also meant that in general life amongst the shinigami really was slower. Without the urgency of brief mortality, and with many of the overall concerns of life removed, day-to-day affairs simply didn't have impetus for movement.

In the time that Ichigo had come into Toshiro's life, he had almost completely redefined it. Ichigo knew all this, and felt that the intensity of their relationship had to be in part related to that fact. Because of how deeply Toshiro had been affected by him made Toshiro's affection towards him be on an equivalent scale. And it was simply impossible for Ichigo to not reciprocate. Especially when Toshiro looked as he did now, his patented mixture of mild affectionate scorn, a slight crease in his brow that made his brilliant eyes seem at once wise and ageless. No matter what expression he wore, Toshiro's face was almost always like a work of art, a pure moment of expression waiting to be captured in some sort of medium for the sake of aesthetic posterity.

_God I'm waxing fucking poetic today. I wish love didn't turn me into a complete idiot. At least it doesn't turn me into my father,_ Ichigo thought gratefully. Turning out to be like Isshin was the last thing he wanted to do, and most likely the last thing that Toshiro would appreciate.

"Apparently there's been a great deal going on in her life, although for the life of me I cannot discern exactly what she's talking about. She has a habit of changing subject mid-sentence and I'm fairly certain that this," he pointed at a paragraph detailing something involving mechas and unicorns, "is a dream of some sort, since its clearly impossible." He paused and then shrugged. "On the whole she seems well."

"Yeah, she's been pretty chipper at school, she recovered well."

"That is most excellent, I was concerned about her, even if Aizen's goals required her to be healthy and physically intact…" Toshiro trailed off and Ichigo's mind helpfully filled in the blank. Aizen could have turned Inoue into another Hinamori, brainwashed her until she couldn't tell right from wrong and made her completely his. The idea of that much power being added to Aizen's forces was terrifying.

"No, she's doing fine. If anything she has a great deal more control over her power. If she hadn't been able to get everyone healed and back on their feet, if she hadn't been able to protect them when I—well, lost it, we wouldn't have made it back." Toshiro placed his hand inside Ichigo's and gave him a gentle squeeze. Ichigo made an attempt at a grin, but he honestly wasn't feeling it. The knowledge of what he'd almost done, how much the hollow had been able to control him was as terrifying as imaging what Aizen could do fully exploiting Inoue's power.

_"And one last warning if you really want to control my power, make sure you don't die before I show up again,"_ the hollow had said. The bastard had been right. Ichigo had beaten him back down once more, and now he had full control of the hollow's abilities, even if he hadn't fully explored them (being in the form of the hollow was decidedly uncomfortable).

"I take it that's one of the reasons they want to control me, eh?" Ichigo asked Toshiro. The white-haired captain took a deep breath and dropped the taller shinigami's hand. Ichigo wondered what could make him look so hesitant.

"There's something you should know, Ichigo. I—I didn't tell them that the hollow gained control of you." Silence. Instead of thinking, Ichigo's mind felt blank. His mouth opened, but no sound came out, no words came into his mind. He couldn't believe it. After everything that—God he could remember that night like it was yesterday…

_"You did what?" Ichigo almost screamed. Toshiro didn't shrink from his anger, but the slightly crinkling around his eyes was his equivalent of a wince._

_"I wrote up a summary of your actions, as related by you, during your time in Hueco Mundo." Ichigo was seething with anger, he felt like his vision should be tinged red he was so angry. His mind raced like a wild animal blinded with fury, indiscriminately hurtling thoughts and aggression ran through his body only barely chained by a pain that was so big it wasn't even registering yet. How dare that piece of shit betray him like that?_

_"You wrote—you wrote what? I told you that in fucking confidence you bastard. I trusted you." Each word was delivered like a sword strike, each syllable packed with force that was meant to hurt, to rip and to tear. Toshiro's gaze remained calm and that drove Ichigo to almost physically attack him, and to ignore the fact that Toshiro's hands were shaking._

_"Ichigo, you have to understand, I have duties as a leader, I have people under me whose survival is dependent on the sort of information you gave me the other night."_

_"You said that you loved me, that you cared for me and would stand by my side just as I pledged to stand by yours. Do your fucking words mean anything, Toshiro? Are you just a sick fuck who enjoys playing with people? You had no right to do what you did you miserable little—gragh!" Ichigo trailed off into an inarticulate scream and turned his back to the shorter boy. Toshiro blinked once, slowly._

_"You're right, I did not. I am sorry, and I understand if you cannot forgive me. But I had to do what I did, no matter how I would feel about my actions." Ichigo snorted, his back still turned to his partner._

_"You're such a good little toy soldier, aren't you? Perfect little shinigami, all ready and set to sell out his promises and the person he supposedly loves at the drop of a hat. You're just a model fucking captain aren't you?" Ichigo snarled._

_"No, I'm not," Toshiro said softly.  
"Oh, why not?" Ichigo turned around to confront him and stopped._

_"Because," and oh god-Ichigo couldn't believe it. Toshiro's eyes were actually moistening, becoming wet with tears. Toshiro never, ever, cried over anything. "If I really was, I don't think this would hurt so much." His voice didn't crack once, but he couldn't suppress the body language that practically screamed his emotions to Ichigo. Ichigo couldn't be angry with Toshiro, not when he hurt that badly, not when his eyes brimmed with tears that he did not allow to fall. _

_"Fuck, Toshiro. Just—shit," Ichigo said. For some reason his rage was slipping, turning into something just as ugly but not half as fierce. It was like a heavy cloth was put over his feelings, becoming muted and misdirected. Space was made for other feelings, and before he knew it, Ichigo's heart was sorely conflicted._

_"Do you want me to leave?" Toshiro asked in that same quiet voice, and it felt like he fucking tore open his chest while at the same time it made Ichigo want to slam the bastard's spiky white-haired head into the floor. If he didn't know Toshiro, know what the other death god was feeling under his mask, Ichigo would have actually gone ballistic at such a strong voice that was so very disinterested. _

_"No, no I don't. You should stay, I need you to stay. But, it's just that—just don't talk, please." Toshiro sat down, and proceeded to be perfectly quiet, his hands folded neatly in his lap and his gaze downcast. Ichigo spent the next hour and a half alternately brooding, staring at Toshiro (who kept staring at his hands the entire time), pacing, and finally, speaking._

_"Let's go to bed." It was a bit before midnight, but Toshiro simply followed his lead. When they lay down together, Ichigo clutched Toshiro like a child would hug a stuffed animal. Toshiro hesitated, and then returned the gesture, wrapping his arms around Ichigo. Neither of them cried, neither of them spoke, but maybe there were a couple tears, and maybe they did say a few words to each other._

_"I understand if you hate me."_

_"Then you understand nothing, moron."_

They didn't speak once to each about the report directly, and the next morning they said nothing about it either. Both of them ignored it as if it never had been written. It had been working up until Toshiro had to open his mouth, Ichigo reflected.

"You didn't?" On the other hand, now he was feeling guilty for not acknowledging how hard what Toshiro had done must have felt. Lying as he did was treason, no two ways about it, and the punishment for treason was death, even if they couldn't spare a captain during war time, it simply meant Toshiro would be given a mission that he would not return from.

If such a thing were to ever occur, Ichigo would of course rescue Toshiro. And just like Rukia, he'd probably get only slightly less grief from Toshiro than the fighters he was rescuing the boy from. If Soul Society thought for a second that Ichigo would abandon Toshiro they had another thing coming. Another 4 things coming, actually, because there was no way that Chad, Ishida and Inoue would sit it out. And between himself, Chad and Ishida, they were quite a force to be reckoned with. Adding Inoue's newly found determination to the mix and it was quite likely that they could take on just about anyone up to Aizen and win.

Ichigo's thoughts had never really drifted down this vein before, and it scared him somewhat. He knew that he had become powerful, and that his friends had too. They had to be, in order to protect those people who were precious and loved. And not just them, to protect everyone. Just like Kariya had told him, he had become powerful, too powerful, but instead of losing his friends he'd simply dragged them further with him. Although they weren't near his level of raw reiatsu, Chad and Ishida were captain level fighters, easily capable of taking on the most dangerous sorts of beings that inhabited any of the planes of existence.

No wonder Yamamoto wanted to have some measure of control over him, and through him his friends. They were the equivalent of a 3-man captain squad with a healer who could practically resurrect them from the dead. When he put it like that, even he felt slightly afraid. Ichigo dimly realized Toshiro was talking.

"No, I didn't. As far as the Gotei 13 is concerned, your hollow powers are just that, hollow powers. You have a hollow inside of you, but its been conquered. You are not a liability in that regard."

"I appreciate that, Toshiro. Thank you for trusting me," Ichigo said.

"I promised you, didn't I?"

"That you did." They stood together just looking at each other. Ichigo had never been content simply to be in someone's presence, hadn't been able to feel happy just being with someone since his mom had died. Conflating Toshiro with his mom in any way, shape, or form was highly uncomfortable, but it seemed to happen every now and then. However Freudian it was

"I'm glad your memory is capable of retaining that," Toshiro said dryly, his special form of teasing. He walked towards the front door and Ichigo trailed behind him.

"Where are we going?"

"We're going to visit the 6th division office, as I assume you wish to catch up with Abarai-fukotaicho and I have business with Kuchiki-taicho."

"Whatcha need to talk with Byakuya about?"

"Kuchiki-taicho's intercession yesterday requires an expression of gratitude, as an aristocrat he will practically expect such a gesture, even if he's aware that the majority of Seireitei doesn't follow upper class protocol and etiquette."

"I never took you for someone who did, either. I thought you were, you know…"

"I was dirt poor, actually. It was a good thing I didn't develop most of my spirit power until after Hinamori had enrolled as a shinigami and could help keep me fed."

"You owe her a lot, don't you?"

"She's my sister." In the Soul Society, where family was what you made of it, Hinamori really was a part of his family, or at least the one he'd had before moving to Court of Pure Souls. Now she was still part of his family, but others had joined it as well.

The latest addition to his family grinned at him.

"Speaking of sisters, Karin wants me to say she wants to know when you can come visit again. Apparently you kick ass at soccer."

"Depending on the outcome of this meeting, I may have some free time at my disposal, visiting your family would be a distinct possibility," Toshiro said. Ichigo frowned at him, although he'd spoken in a sensible tone of voice, there was no way he could feel so calm about possibly losing his captaincy. Exile was a very real possibility, even if it was slim, and then Toshiro would have no choice but to move to the living realms.

"Whatever happens, my home is open to you," Ichigo said and Toshiro favored him with a smile. Within the safe confines of his house, or anywhere privacy was assured (his office had been crossed off the list, sadly) Toshiro was very free with affection. It still annoyed Ichigo that the same didn't apply in public. He didn't want to practically fuck Toshiro in front of people like some couples, but there should be nothing wrong with a little leaning or slinging an arm around the waist.

"Thank you, Ichigo." He turned and opened the door, and as he passed over the threshold, Ichigo could see his demeanor go through a transformation. The set of his shoulders didn't stiffen, but a tension was added to them. His bearing shifted from relaxed and attractive to stern and powerful. All of the captains emitted a high level of reiatsu, and inside the house Toshiro had let his spirit power flow freely so that it could intermingle and blend with Ichigo's.

Now his spiritual pressure was like a sheathed sword pressing light against Ichigo's throat. A threat that was not quite revealed, but clearly present. On weaker shinigami it would probably feel like a giant smothering blanket, one that could become heavier and crush them anytime it wanted to.

The aura of reiatsu was not visible per se. At least it wasn't perceived solely through the eyes, but there was no sensory organ for reiatsu, it was a matter of the soul, not the body. That didn't stop the brain, or what was left of the brain imprinted in the spiritual matter of a once-living being, from trying to process that information into something perceptible. So the aura of a person wasn't quite visible in any descriptive way, but a spiritually sensitive person could "see" auras. Toshiro's aura was like all the other captains, brilliant like a star and confined within their skin, perfectly tempered on the surface, to the point where it felt like a blade. Ichigo knew that his own lack of control made it so that he didn't even look like he had an aura. It was easy enough to tell that he had spiritual power, but a weak hollow or shinigami wouldn't be able to tell how powerful he was because they couldn't "see" his aura.

The reason they couldn't is the same reason why a person cannot see the curve of the earth unless they have a very clear view. Ichigo's aura was spread out over a large enough area that one had to be either powerful or sensitive enough to determine where it actually was. Ichigo ionized and imprinted the spiritual energy all around him, part of the reason why his friends had begun to develop spiritual powers. Souls that would have become shinigami naturally after a few more reincarnation cycles had their latent talents blasted open by close proximity to such powerful energies.

With a flash of soul power, Toshiro seemingly vanished. Ichigo followed his flash step and they began to move quickly across the Court of Pure Souls. Jumping from roof top to roof top was a thing of special effects and clever stunts, but here Ichigo was, moving faster than the human eye could track, in the land of the dead with his sentient sword strapped to his back (not to mention he was running after his boyfriend who was a commander of an entire division of death gods, one of the 13 most powerful individuals in the entire military branch of the Soul Society).

There were days where what Ichigo was doing with his life was just unbearably cool.

Of course he'd never told anyone that, they'd think his head was getting big and then they'd take it upon themselves to shame him back into modesty. That was exactly the sort of thing he liked to avoid, and not just for his pride's sake. For his sanity as well.

They practically flew over the heads of various shinigami. Some of them looked up just long enough for Ichigo to see them staring. With his conspicuous zankpokuto and brilliant orange hair, news of his arrival would be all over the place within the hour. The fact that he was traveling with the captain of the 10th division wouldn't be a detail of any import unless they happened to know…

Ichigo shook his head to clear his thoughts, and almost tripped. He turned the stumble into a jump and flashed forward, but Toshiro had noticed the stumble and slowed to a halt a few rooftops ahead. Ichigo put a bit of energy into his next jump and made a single long jump straight to Toshiro.

"Something the matter?"

"No, nothing," Ichigo replied, trying not to sound as irritated as he felt. There was no reason for Toshiro to stop; he had just fucking tripped a little. There was no need for the smaller shinigami to be looking at him with the faintest bit of concern and about to open his mouth and ask another question about his well-being.

"Nothing, I just tripped because I was thinking too hard. Let's keep going."

"I understand that your thoughts are… tumultuous today. But you need to remain focused, Ichigo." He didn't have to add why. Ichigo gave him a cheesy grin and a thumbs-up, which made him roll his eyes and turn to flash step further ahead. As Toshiro showed his back to Ichigo, the tall young man dropped all pretense of happiness. Suddenly, he had a bad feeling in the pit of his gut, and he knew that today would not end well, one way or another. After everything that he had been through, all the friends he had almost lost and all the people he had seen die or killed, he knew to trust his intuition.

"I will protect you, Hitsugaya Toshiro, with all that I have, with all that I am," he said softly but with conviction forged in blood and war. It was the same as Rukia, the same as Inoue, the same as any time he saved a person he loved. If they were in danger, he would be there, he would fight and kill and do whatever necessary to preserve those people he considered precious. Zangetsu hummed on his back, and whispered his approval.

Ichigo flew through the air after the white haired boy, and if weaker shinigami felt the wake of his passage, they shivered. There was no desire to kill, no murderous feeling laced through Ichigo's passage. There was only intent, a determination so strong it overrode any petty emotion or killing-impulse.

Across the entire Court of Pure Souls the strongest of shinigami: the captains, their vice-captains and few lower seats who were far stronger than they let on, noted Ichigo's passage, and the message it sent. Each of them paused in what they were doing to take a moment and think about what that message was, for it held no malice and it was not killing intent. It was pure will power.

_"I am here, see me, see my power, and know that I shall do whatever is necessary. Whatever I have to do, I shall see through it, no matter what obstacle, I shall overcome it, no matter who challenges me, I will annihilate them."_

"Are you insane, Ichigo?" This time Ichigo tripped and fell face first into the side of a building. After painfully pulling his face out of the stone wall (and pointedly ignoring the low level death gods who were staring at him as if he were an alien that had just fallen from heaven) he looked up and glared at the boy who had just yelled at him. Then he winced.

Hitsugaya Toshiro was livid with anger.

* * *

Two men were taking a walk through a manicured water garden. The sun sparkled on the crystal clear water and water lilies dotted the surface of the ponds. Both men paused under a cherry tree that was in full bloom (everything was always in full bloom in the Court of Pure Souls, the first king of Soul Society had made it so with demon magic long since forgotten).

"My, my, did you feel that, Ukitake?"

"Of course I did. I think everyone in Sereitei felt _that_."

"What do you think we should do?"

"Normally I would say we should send them a message, but… I think we will be better served with alternative methods."

"Oh?"

"Yes. Would you do me a favor, Shuinsui?"

"Why Jyuu-chan, how could you think I wouldn't?"

Ukitake gave him a measuring stare, and said nothing.

"Aye, aye, aye! Your harsh words would my tender heart. Like the desert blossom, I have withered and shriveled into a pitiful memory of what I once was. Let the desert wind carry me away so that I might decay—" Sensing that if he didn't interrupt the flow of poetic ranting it would continue unabated, Ukitake began to talk over his long-time friend.

"I'd appreciate it if you could journey to the real world, and ask Yoruichi to join us for the captain's meeting today."

"Do you think Yama-jii will allow it?"

"I didn't intend to ask him."

"Good, because I was going to ask her anyways."

"Please try not to get into a fight with Kisuke-kun, Shuinsui."

"You are a cruel man, to insinuate that Urahara and I cannot get along without conflict. Almost as cruel as my sweet Nanao-chan."

"I know you, and I know Kisuke, and I want your promise not to get into a fight with him. You don't have time to engage in your old antics. And given how sweet Nanao is, I thank you."

"So formal, Jyushiro! I accept your thanks and give welcome for them. Now I shall go to collect the august personage of Shihuoin Yoruichi, that she might attend today's parliamentary proceedings."

"And your word on not fighting Kisuke?"

"What if he wants to fight, too?"

"You are incorrigible." Kyoraku laughed.

"And what will you do, Jyushiro?"

"I'm going to go speak with our young friends, I think they could use a bit of advice."

"Che, you're right about that. The boy genius is smart, but he's not very good at politics, is he?"

"Hitsugaya-taicho is a very talented individual, but you are correct. However, it's more Kurosaki-kun that I am concerned for."

"Really? I'd be a little more worried about Hitsugaya-kun. Kurosaki doesn't fall directly under Yama-jii's authority, yet. Any actions he's taken so far effectively don't count as legally punishable. But the 10th squad captain might not be the boy genius for much longer."

"Well, we'll have to see about both of those, won't we?"

"I don't think we've gone against the old man's wishes this often in centuries. That Kurosaki boy really does know how to stir up trouble."

"It's not trouble, Shuinsui, he brings change in his steps."

"I wasn't aware there was a difference." The ability to at once be the most unreliable captain in the Gotei 13 and the wisest, that was Kyoraku Shuinsui. Ukitake smiled at his oldest friend and they clasped their hands together.

"Good luck, old friend."

"Same to you."

* * *

A/N—I love the reviewer responses, especially the critical ones, thank you each and every one of you. And if anyone wants to beta for me, I could use another set of eyes even if you aren't a grammatical maven (really I'm looking more for characterizations and canonical accuracy). 


	3. The Judicial Branch

Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach or anything having to do with Bleach.

A/N: I'm so terribly sorry this took so long to come out; I hope the length and quality are up to snuff for you guys, because the response for this story has been overwhelming to me. I love all of you, and I inserted a sex scene that wasn't in the plot outline here just for you guys, and because I didn't write any Christmas smut for the LJ challenge. For people who are caught up in the manga, just pretend that stuff isn't happening, and that Ichigo mysteriously going hollow form helped them escape, and no one else came to Hueco Mundo.

The Judicial Branch

Kuchiki Byakuya had taken a long time to warm up to his second seat. It wasn't simply a matter of class distance (he the highest member of the undead aristocracy, his vice-captain effectively a street urchin) or the complicated politics of their individual and intertwined relationships with Rukia. At the end of the day, they were two very different sorts of men, and conflicts between them were as inevitable as the end of a story.

In no way did that mean he disliked Abarai Renji. Over the course of the past few months, Renji had proven to have a strong character and a potential that with a bit of polishing could truly shine. Achieving Bankai with his soul slayer was surprising to Byakuya, yet at the same time it was not entirely unexpected. To realize Bankai was exceedingly rare, and only the captains were supposed to be capable of it. An average shinigami could be forgiven for thinking of the Bankai as an almost god-like feat, in some ways it truly was.

For one who had the entire recorded history of the Court of Pure Souls, the truth was a bit more evident. Possessing Bankai was rare, yet the curious thing was that anytime someone achieved Bankai, others connected to that person also seemed to achieve it. There were documented examples stretching back centuries, prodigal students would achieve great power and those whom were close to them would as well. To be sure, the predominance of Bankai was held by those select few without distractions, lone heroes in one school of thought, with no need for companionship in their quest for strength and power. The other trend of group progression could not be ignored, and Byakuya kept the knowledge to himself, as his clan had done for so very long.

In achieving true unification with one's zanpokuto, a spot in history was assured, and with it came the influence that such a position granted. If the secret of Bankai were disseminated throughout the ranks of the shinigami, and the Ryoka, the effects would be… unfortunate. Not all those who could achieve Bankai were worthy of it. Despite all of Byakuya's doubts, Renji had proven himself worthy of achieving the greatest power that a Death God could find.

Still, Renji did have a few traits that were decidedly… distasteful to the lord of the Kuchiki clan. For all that he was a good man and true warrior, he was a low-class buffoon more often than not, and frankly his taste in friends was mildly deplorable. Not the least of this was his continued involvement with Kurosaki Ichigo. Byakuya had given his tacit tolerance of the human boy, allowing his adopted sister and his vice-captain to journey into Hueco Mundo just to aid the boy, but that did not mean that he liked him or approved of him.

The second that Kurosaki chose to exert his reiatsu in that arrogant and obnoxious display, Renji shot up from behind his paperwork and moved towards the door.

"Renji," Byakua said. His voice was soft, almost gentle, but it stopped Renji so abruptly it looked as if the red haired man was frozen in place. His subordinate turned to look at him.

"Kuchiki-taicho, I—"

"Kurosaki Ichigo is not your concern at the moment, finishing the upcoming budget for this quarter is. I cannot sign off on our necessary expenditures until you do, so I suggest you return to your work." He saw Renji's hesitation; the temptation to run and do what he thought was right in spite of his captain's commands. But in the end he straightened up, and bowed while apologizing, before returning to his work.

Renji could behave properly when he so chose, but his independent streak had grown by leaps and bounds since his introduction to the Kurosaki boy. A measure of backbone was a necessary thing for a captain, but control of that strength was also necessary. And even if Renji was not aware of it, Byakuya was grooming him for captaincy as fast as he could.

Hurrying such a process could not be done; it took time to finish educating a high level shinigami to the duties of a true leader, and not just a thug with more power than anyone else in his or her division. Although Renji could never be a man like Zaraki Kenpachi, he would not see his lieutenant become less than he was capable of. Renji was still young as the dead measured such things, but they needed new leaders as soon as possible.

And it was unthinkable to have a captain promoted who was not powerful enough to manage the post in this time of war.

Byakuya idly noticed that the spiritual energy of Kurosaki was moving towards them, and that in its shadow was the equally powerful yet far more controlled energy signature of the 10th squad captain.

He had always approved of Hitsugaya Toshiro. He bore the boy no ill will for being a genius, or for being a commoner. As he had once told Kurosaki, there was born every few generations a soul capable of achieving Bankai who was not a member of the noble families. Hitsugaya was such a soul, and given time he was sure that Hitsugaya would prove to truly be the reincarnation of one of the powerful souls that appeared to guard Soul Society in times of great danger and strife.

The relationship between the two had come as a great surprise to him. Yet if anyone could appreciate the manner in which love destroyed all barriers in its path, it was Kuchiki Byakuya.

_Hisana_… even after nearly half a century, the loss of his wife still pained him. He did doubt that the scar left by her passing would stay with him until the end of his days. If he closed his eyes, he could still see her, almost smell her—with a slow exhale he calmed himself and gently closed off those feelings of sorrow. His personal pain had no place here, in his work.

Kurosaki and Hitsugaya-taicho. If he had to predict the sort of person either of them would be attracted to, he would not have dreamt up such a pairing. He had been rather certain that Kurosaki would at some point either attempt to win Rukia's hand, which he could not allow for a variety of reasons, or that he would pursue the human girl whom Aizen so desired.

Byakuya had had little contact with Inoue Orihime, but after reading the report that Hitsugaya had compiled, he understood the draw of her power. An ability that could reject fate—changing reality in accordance with her whims—was god-like. Her weak personality was a boon of sorts, as it meant she would never truly use her powers to their fullest extent except in the defense of others. Weak was perhaps a misnomer, rather her lack of ambition and weak self-esteem kept her power caged better than anything else.

Either of them was understandably attractive to the sort of man he thought Kurosaki to be, even if only because both of them were beautiful women. One of the reasons he approved of Hitsugaya Toshiro was because the boy had an extremely well defined sense of propriety. Even if the boy had decided to pursue some sort of romance, Byakuya had thought that it would at least remain separated from Soul Society politics. The bond between him and the 5th squad second seat was well known, and it was easy to imagine that such a relationship could grow into romance. Privately Byakuya had felt that such an evolution was not likely, seeing as how love did not frequently blossom between the unequal (or if it did, it was difficult to keep a healthy relationship without leveling some manner of the power balance). Hinamori was simply too much of a dependent personality, and Hitsugaya was strong. He would overwhelm a weaker person, and such an unbalanced dynamic would surely doom their love to failure.

Yet to choose Kurosaki… He had honestly thought Hitsugaya had better sense than that. Even if the boy was drawn to other men, surely there were more appropriate choices for a partner within the ranks of the Shinigami. Admittedly, he could not think of any, but then again he did not denote a great deal, or any, of his thoughts to the sexual inclinations of other death gods. That he did so now was simply as a consequence of circumstance.

Discovering that the two of them were involved had been an unpleasant revelation. Happening upon the two sharing a soul-searing kiss during Kurosaki's sojourn in the midst of the Bount attacks was highly embarrassing, and wholly inappropriate. Commenting on their lack of discipline would have been uncomfortable to an extreme. And…

To his dismay, he had stood there long enough to see the end of their kiss (his shock had held him in place as well as a high level kidou restraint would have). Inappropriate did not begin to describe his staying to observe them, yet…

The way that the two of them looked at each other had been like stab to his heart. The way their eyes had met burned into his memories and left him almost shaking. The way their hands and arms had held each other was a terrible beauty that moved him in a way that he thought his heart could no longer move.

The way they had kissed was how he and Hisana had kissed. Not on any sort of superficial level, but in the way that he could see their love, newborn and fragile, as it was, delicate as butterfly wings and breakable as glass but strong in a way that could move mountains, shift rivers, and defy the will of all of Soul Society.

How could he not defend that love when it was threatened? No matter his personal feelings about Kurosaki Ichigo, or his ideas about Hitsugaya's obligations, he had learned from Rukia's near execution that he needed to listen to his heart, that not all the rules could be followed to the letter. And his heart had cried out at seeing the two of them share a moment that he could practically remember as an exact parallel to himself and the counterpart of his soul.

The forms in front of him were not being paid the attention they were due. It was his fault. As he finally settled his mind to the quarterly budgeting for his division, he noticed that the immense undisciplined reiatsu of Kurosaki Ichigo was almost in front of his office. Renji was staring at the door unabashedly, idly drawing a circle on a piece of paper. Admonishing the other man was purposeless; clearly Hitsugaya and Kurosaki had business with him, most likely about yesterday's events and this day's planned meeting.

All the same, Renji needed to receive a token punishment.

"Perhaps you could obtain a pot of tea and an early lunch for our incoming guests, fukotaicho." He didn't have to make his voice sound cold, using Renji's title in lieu of even using his surname was enough of an indication of his displeasure, but he couldn't help it. Sure enough, Renji cringed and slunk out of the office. He needed to speak with the boy about decorum; he was no child to look so pathetic when chastised.

It took only another minute before the pair arrived at his office door. The polite evenly timed knock was clearly from Hitsugaya; he could practically see Kurosaki impatiently shifting from foot to foot in the hallway.

"Come in," he said. The door opened and he was treated to the sight once again of the pair that reminded him of the love he'd once had. Today however appeared to be generating some discord in the relationship, as their body language clearly indicated a mild amount of anger towards each other. Byakuya would wager, if he were the sort of man who wagered, that their current conflict stemmed from Kurosaki's impertinent display. The slight limp Kurosaki had seemed to indicate a scuffle, especially as he could see that Hitsugaya had a bruise blossoming on his arm. "See" wasn't exactly the correct word, but he was a captain and as such capable of detecting nearly any injury.

"Hello, Kuchiki-taicho. May we have a minute of your time?"

"Please be seated. I've sent out for some refreshments," he said. Kurosaki raised an eyebrow and Byakuya resisted the impulse to make a snide comment. Being a good host was more important than dealing with shallow impertinence.

"Thank you very much, Kuchiki-taicho," Hitsugaya said with a slight bow of his head. Byakuya nodded approvingly; at least one of them had respect for decorum and knowledge of etiquette. The two of them sat down and waited while he gathered up his papers and put them in a drawer, clearing a space. He took his time doing so, both to make a point and to see how the two reacted. Hitsugaya patiently waited with a pleasant but neutral expression on his face, while Kurosaki crossed his arms and attempted to refrain from a slight frown. Defensive and rebellious, how utterly child-like. He wondered if that was part of the draw they had for each other, Hitsugaya clearly detested being referred to in any manner as a child, and Kurosaki didn't care what anyone else thought about his actions. The juxtaposition of composure and blatant immaturity was stark, and it would be interesting to see how it would affect the general vote of the council regarding those two in the afternoon.

" Captain, Hitsugaya-taicho," Renji greeted both of his superiors as he laid out a tray with a pot of tea, several cups and an assortment of finger food: raw fish, small savory pastries, several pieces of arranged pickled and roasted vegetables and steamed cloth napkins to clean the hands.

"Heya, Renji," Kurosaki said and Renji nodded to him while carefully laying out the last of the food. Then he began to lay a small plate in front of everyone, starting with Byakuya, then to Hitsugaya, Kurosaki and finally a place for himself on the end of the desk. After pouring everyone tea and making sure the food was all arranged with serving utensils, he got out a sheaf of paper and took his seat, arranging his plate so that he could take notes. Byakuya nodded approvingly, Renji's function, as a scribe during an important meeting had been one of the first things he had been trained in as a vice-captain. Hitsugaya nodded his appreciation to Byakuya, indicating his admiration of Renji's discipline, and through that the man who obviously commanded it.

He supposed that with a vice-captain like Matsumoto, getting strict obedience was difficult at best for the young captain. If he were the 10th division captain, she would be the model lieutenant; she had all the skills and abilities, unlike Renji, so all she needed was an incentive to use them.

Byakuya took a genteel drink of his tea, his eyes half closed and relaxed. Renji had several pieces of food on his plate and he was already eating. Kurosaki was nibbling on a pastry, and Hitsugaya was not eating yet, but sipping at his tea.

"What is it that you desire to talk about, Hitsugaya-taicho?" Byakuya asked. The question was almost rhetorical, but still required enough of an answer that it bore asking first.

"Thank you for seeing us, Kuchiki-taicho, and our thanks for the refreshments. As I'm sure you've already surmised, we're here to discuss certain events that took place yesterday and probable events to take place today." Kurosaki was rolling his eyes and looking at Renji. Renji kicked him in the leg as unobtrusively as he could and glared at Kurosaki, who subsided with a surly frown. Byakuya could see Hitsugaya purposefully ignoring him. Kurosaki was the elephant in the room, large, obnoxious and making everyone else uncomfortable.

"Both I and my second seat have read the report of the events that took place in _Las Noches_. I find there is an interesting omission in the report, as the party responsible for granting Abarai Renji and Kuchiki Rukia permission to travel to Hueco Mundo is not named." With many, many years to have practiced it, perfected it, his gaze was sincerely unemotional, no matter how he was feeling within himself. Hitsugaya met his gaze with one that was not as blank, for it cultivated an expression of serious intent. It was clever of him, since he was not capable of controlling his eyes and his face the way that Byakuya had mastered he created an expression that was a reflection of himself, similar to Kyoraku's appearance of a drunken letch. They were true, but they were also masks. Even so, Byakuya could see through it. Maybe in another half century he wouldn't be able to, and Hitsugaya's true thoughts would be as well hidden as his peers, but for now the boy was transparent to one with his perceptive abilities. And right now, he was confused.

"I am unsure what you mean, I was taken to understand that those shinigami who went to Hueco Mundo did so without permission, and were disciplined accordingly." Byakuya's eyes flicked to Kurosaki, who was eating the food and practically dripping with ill temper. He realized that Kurosaki, unlike his lover, had mastered the art of a faux mask. How very interesting that one who was so decidedly uneducated and unskilled should be capable of such a difficult… feat.

"They did in fact have permission to journey to the rescue of the human girl, Inoue Orihime. I granted it to them." Hitsugaya seemed startled and turned to look the orange-haired boy to his left. Curious that Kurosaki didn't inform his partner of that.

"I didn't do it and it didn't happen in Hueco Mundo, didn't think I needed to talk about it," Kurosaki said easily, while looking straight into Byakuya's eyes, blatantly challenging him. Byakuya nodded, privately intrigued by Kurosaki's motivation. As it was, Yamamoto-sotaicho was aware of what Byakuya had done, however since the mission was a success and girl's powers were kept out of Aizen's grasp, the matter was covered up as so many other affairs in Soul Society's history had been. Kurosaki's omission truly meant that the matter would never be brought to light, preventing even the slightest sullying of any of the people involved. Admittedly, the boy's motivation would stem most likely from Renji and Rukia's involvement, but he could not deny that the boy's action also benefited his own career record.

Even an indirect favor that was not made intentionally should be acknowledged and repaid.

"Your discretion is appreciated, Kurosaki," was all he said, but the point was made to Hitsugaya.

"Thank you, Kuchiki-taicho. If I may ask, whom do you think we should worry about swaying this afternoon?" Byakuya raised one eyebrow ever so slightly. Hitsugaya was asking quite a lot with those few words.

"I do not think there will be a problem with obtaining a majority vote for respecting what your relationship is to Kurosaki, however it is unclear as to what disciplinary action will be undertaken in regards to your misconduct." Through the haze of uncontrolled reiatsu that the human boy bled out so obnoxiously, Byakuya perceived a particular spiritual signature, belonging to one of the more deceptive reiatsu auras in the Gotei 13.

Ukitake Jyushiro did not in any way look like one of the more powerful senior shinigami in all of Soul Society. Despite being sickly to the point of being bed-ridden at times, his power and skill was only surpassed by perhaps two others, being Aizen and Yamamaoto-sotaicho. He and Kyoraku Shuinsui were comrades in arms, closer than lovers and bound like brothers, both of them were powerful and supposedly wise, and rarely did they get involved with Soul Society politics. And where one found Ukitake, one found Kyoraku, invariably.

The knocking at the door came as no surprise to Byakuya, but apparently Renji and Hitsugaya were not able to sense through the haze of Kurosaki's spirit energy, so they were surprised when the door opened for the captain of the 13th division. At least Hitsugaya managed to cover his surprise; Renji began fumbling with his notepad as he got up to offer his chair to the white-haired captain.

"Ah, thank you, Abarai-kun," he said, laying a gentle hand on Renji's shoulder. The action did not make Byakuya upset for reasons he didn't care to examine because there was no reason to be jealous of the ease with which Ukitake could make a subordinate love him. Because Byakuya didn't need love from those beneath him, only their obedience, and he certainly was a better captain for it. After all, he would never have let his vice-captain take on an opponent he could not defeat for no reason other than respecting his pride.

"I'll go get another chair," Renji said, needlessly, as he left the room. Byakuya ignored his subordinate's actions and focused his stare on Ukitake. The sickly man continued his greetings by moving on to the orange-haired brat.

"Good morning, Ukitake-san," Kurosaki said with a happy smile. Hitsugaya by comparison was a study in polite interest. Apparently the boy genius did not get along with the kindly senior captain. Although Byakuya already admitted to himself that he was more disposed to think positively of the 10th squad captain, he found it almost amusing that the more he learned about Hitsugaya Toshiro the more he grew to approve of him, and the more confused he became that the boy had chosen Kurosaki as a partner.

"Hello, Kurosaki-kun, how are you feeling today?"

"Oh I'm doing well enough, how are you?"

"Feeling better today than I have in quite some time, actually," Ukitake said with a grin. "And what about you, Toshiro-kun?" Ah, that would be why the boy didn't like him. That overbearing familiarity was an irritant to Byakuya as well.

"I'm feeling fine," Hitsugaya said diplomatically, although Byakuya would have understood if he'd corrected the older man. Once again the young prodigy demonstrated a restraint that Byakuya found admirable.

"So you're going to help us out, Ukitake-san? We've been talking to Byakuya about the meeting that's happening later today," Kurosaki was cut off with a pained look on his face before glaring at Hitsugaya. "And we'd appreciate your help." Byakuya nodded to Hitsugaya, Kurosaki took far too many liberties, and just because the boy had survived an all out fight between the two of them, it did not make them equals or close friends. The effort at disciplining his lover lacked subtlety, but then again true subtlety was probably lost on the boy.

"That's why I came here. Kyoraku-taicho is actually in the real world right now, to bring back Yoruichi for the meeting," Ukitake said.

"Do you really think her presence is advisable? We're not trying to court the image of Ichigo as being someone who acts with such disregard for law as Shihuoin Yoruichi," Hitsugaya said.

"Hey, Yoruichi-san has risked her ass to save—" Kurosaki began to speak.

"Ichigo," Hitsugaya snapped, his tone sharp as his sword.

"If you cannot hold your tongue you have no place at these proceedings," Byakuya said, well aware of how cold his voice was and how he was delivering an ultimatum to the boy, and that Kurosaki responded poorly to such demands. Ukitake didn't give Byakuya the chance to goad the human boy further.

"Kurosaki-kun, you must understand that you cannot speak out of turn at the captains' meeting. No matter what is said you cannot disrupt the debate. You can do that, right?" Ukitake asked the boy, kindness dripping from his words like honey added to medicine so that a spoiled brat might not spit it back up, despite the condescending nature of the question. Coddling Kurosaki in any way was unwise, taking advantage of him would become second nature to more manipulative shinigami the second they learned how vulnerable he was. Despite his prodigious reiatsu, the boy was no Zaraki Kenpachi, and he would have to be at least as ruthless and brazen as that man to succeed without bowing to the concept of intrigue.

"I understand," Kurosaki said, crossing his arms and leaning back into his chair.

"It's pretty easy to stay quiet, I don't know why an incompetent moron like you can't handle it. Or did I just answer my own question," Renji decided to speak up, and Byakuya's face went from carefully blank to carefully blank while covering up amusement. Renji practically glowed from the tacit approval his captain had just given him, and Byakuya silently wondered once again where the hero worship and desire to emulate him had come from.

Kurosaki looked at Renji, and blinked as if confused as to what the red haired man was saying. Renji grinned and gave him a thumbs up.

"See, not so hard, is it?"

"It's easy to be silent when you're stunned by magnificent idiocy," Kurosaki said, getting what he must think was a sly look on his face. Byakuya felt it made him look like a nauseated ferret, but then again maybe Kurosaki felt such an expression was cunning…

Byakuya retraced his last thought, and became concerned that he was spending too much time around the human boy. Clearly his normally well-ordered and logical mind was being influenced somehow by the boy's irrationality. The remaining hour or so was spent drilling Kurosaki on proper behavior and protocol of the meeting, and strategizing in very vague ways. Byakuya was not going to reveal his thoughts on the matter until the meeting, as was proper, and although Ukitake's eventual verdict was obvious, he too did not unveil overly much.

At one point, Byakuya dismissed Renji and the human boy to go do whatever they wanted, not caring where and with whom they went. Hitsugaya had not protested, and although Ukitake had looked somewhat disapproving, he said nothing. In truth, without the two they did not accomplish a great deal more, but each subject was explored to its logical conclusion, and not sidetracked into an argument.

An unseated 1st squad messenger came and told them the meeting was to begin in half an hour.

"But no one can find Abarai-fukotaicho or Kurosaki-dono," the man finished. Byakuya closed his eyes; mildly irritated that Renji would be so irresponsible.

"I know where they are, I'll get them," Hitsugaya offered. The young captain walked out of the door, and took one flash step down the hall. After he went outside, Byakuya felt his reiatsu rapidly move away. The boy's flash step was becoming impressive, although still not as fast as his own, or capable of the range of Ukitake.

"Thank you, and good-bye, captains." The 1st division man bowed and left. Ukitake had a slight frown on his face, which was tilted down, and closed eyes seemed to be watching the hands neatly folded up in his lap.

"Did you have some other business with me, Ukitake?" The other man never seemed to react when Byakuya dropped the honorific from his name, but a slight tensing around his eyes supplied all the acknowledgement Byakuya required.

"Only that I would like to know what you have planned." Byakuya raised an eyebrow. Eyes that had been observing others for centuries cut into him with a razor like intellect. Tuberculosis might have crippled the white haired captain, and he might have failed in his duties, but he was still an incredibly perceptive, and intelligent shinigami. All the same, being able to discern that Byakuya had a strategy in mind for the meeting was slightly troubling. How perceptive, exactly, was Ukitake?

"I do, and I do not care to discuss it." The other man could draw whatever reasons he desired from that statement, Byakuya did not care. "If you do not mind, Ukitake-taicho, I have work to complete, and with the absence of my adjutant I have limited time to accomplish it in."

"Then I shall help you," Ukitake said and before Byakuya could protest, he had seated himself where Renji had once sat, and swiftly begun to page through papers. Although it was perfectly acceptable for one captain to complete paperwork for a division other than his, or her, own, was highly irregular. There was precedent, but not enough to make the act unremarkable. In truth, Byakuya had wanted Ukitake to leave, and Ukitake had to be fully cognizant of that desire.

Drawing Byakuya into a conversation would not work, however, if Byakuya were clearly willing to ignore Ukitake. The laws of etiquette would require some response on the part of the host, even for an ill-mannered guest staying overly long. If there was one lesson he had learned from Kurosaki, albeit rather unwillingly, it was that sometimes, rules should and could be bent for one's own convenience.

The two men worked quickly and efficiently while conducting something akin to a shouting match through the use of body language and short but meaningful innocuous phrases. All in all, it was excellent preparation for the meeting later that day, and Byakuya had to admit, Ukitake worked a great deal faster and with far greater competency than Renji. It was never fair to compare a captain to a vice-captain, but if Renji wanted to become a captain in the relatively near future he would need to learn not only the skills, but the ability to use them all efficiently and consistently.

* * *

When a captain moved in a hurry, lesser shinigami moved out of the way. Sensing spiritual energy was the first skill Shinigami were supposed to learn, it was essential to the battlefield in a variety of ways, but it also served several other benefits. For one, it let weaker warriors know when a much more powerful warrior was heading towards them, and if they were in the way, it gave them enough time to move before they much more powerful other person sped past.

Hitsugaya was barely landing on rooftops before he would _shunpo_ to the next one. Normally when a shinigami flash-stepped, the act made a small, light noise. However, it was possible to flash step so fast that instead of that noise, there was a clap as the Shinigami displaced air and spirit particles so quickly it made a noise.

Hitsugaya was moving so fast, it sounded like one person applauding. The secret training facility that Urahara Kisuke had built in Soul Society was still a secret to most, but Ichigo had, of course, shown him. Hitsugaya smiled a little at the memories of the two sparring and then relaxing in those magical hot springs. In the interest of scientific pursuit (purely in the interest of scientific pursuit, it should be reiterated), Hitsugaya had bitten Ichigo a number of times, only to watch the marks heal up almost instantly in the enhanced water.

The location of the underground cavern was known to only five shinigami, and with two of them on the material plane (one of whom wasn't even allowed to return to Soul Society), it left a dearth of options for who could find the two, since only Hitsugaya knew where they were. Keeping a secret in the Court of Pure Souls was inherently difficult, Shinigami were like cats (in more ways than one), and when they weren't off "hunting," they were either incredibly lazy or overly inquisitive. When a lifespan was measured in centuries, but could be cut short at any minute, knowledge could be the difference between getting to experience those centuries, or moving up rather quickly on the reincarnation cycle. So it was natural that Shinigami pursued secrets, even the harmless ones were valuable, as no secret was ever truly harmless.

A hidden resource like the training cavern was priceless, and Hitsugaya took a very hefty amount of satisfaction in it, especially given that he could find real and really relaxing privacy in such a spot. If no one knew where it was, no one could bother him. Albeit he had to be careful when utilizing the cavern for such a purpose, a captain could not forgo his duties and if he disappeared often enough, even with paperwork, it would be remarked upon.

Exiting the Court was easy if the wall was down, and even though it was a time of war, it was down. Aizen had made it clear he would not move until the winter, and he had made it also clear that the date was not a ploy to attack earlier. The man was just supremely confident that by winter, he would be able to roll over Soul Society as if it didn't exist.

Once he was clear of_Sereitei_, Hitsugaya took a deep breath and paused from his flash stepping. Gathering a significant amount of spiritual energy in his feet and legs, he focused and then made one massive _shunpo_ to his destination. When he released the technique he was at the entrance to the cavern, and although his heart rate was slightly elevated from the exertion, he felt magnificently pleased with himself.

As soon as he was inside the massive training complex, dropping down to nimbly land on the dusty floor, he could feel the raw power of Ichigo and Abarai's reiatsu clashing. For a moment, he sat and watched them. He had a bit of time, after all, and a shinigami did not pass by a fight without at least looking (and at the most, jumping in).

Ichigo flew at Abarai like the force of nature he was, his massive cleaver flashing as it moved faster than any normal Shinigami could see. Hitsugaya watched the flurry of movement and critiqued it, as usually Ichigo gave almost no thought to defense, although more thought than someone like Zaraki Kenpachi. The speed with which his sword moved, and the power behind it allowed for such a strategy, normally it was all Ichigo's opponents could do to withstand the power of his sword. Zangetsu was a truly beautiful blade; it radiated power and battle-hardened lethality that not many soul slayers could approach.

Renji blocked each of Ichigo's strikes with his Zabimaru, trying to get ranged so he could use his sword's natural abilities to their full potential. Aware of Renji's intent, Ichigo pursued him as fast and hard as he could, keeping the redhead from attaining his advantage, but not allowing himself to build up a powerful enough attack to really push Abarai. It was a fascinating stale-mate, and although Hitsugaya knew several ways to end it, were he in either of their shoes, now was not the time to give them lessons.

Springing forward, he pointed his sword and silently asked Hyorinmaru to freeze the air. An ice lance shot out of his dragon's mouth, skewering the area between both of the sparring young men and making them freeze in the middle of combat. Light glinted off of Zabimaru from where Abarai was crouching in anticipation of Ichigo's attack, but now both young men (relatively, in Abarai's case) looked with wide eyes at the razor sharp ice spear that was quivering in the ground between them. Only a foot or two to both side and it would have filleted one of them.

"Oi, Toshiro, you could have hit me," Ichigo squawked. The white-haired boy rolled his eyes in loving contempt of his boyfriend.

"Hey, he could have hit me too, asshole, or do you not care about your friends?" Abarai and Ichigo, Hitsugaya had found, argued about absolutely everything. Although that Kuchiki Rukia had the patience to put up with their constant squabbling for at least a couple minutes before disciplining them, Hitsugaya had no such patience. So he took Hyorinmaru, with his scarab still on, and thwapped both of them on the top of their heads.

"Hitsugaya-taicho," Abarai groaned, "that hurt."

"I suggest you go report to your captain, Abarai, when I left Ukitake was helping Kuchiki with your paperwork." Hitsugaya almost wished he hadn't said that, because even before he finished Abarai had blanched and begun to look incredibly distraught. Two eyes were boring holes into the back of his head, and Hitsugaya almost sighed. Stupid Ichigo, why did the human boy have to make him feel guilty for chastising subordinates who deserved to be chastised?

"Thank you, though, for taking Ichigo off our hands, hopefully you wore him out enough he won't make too much of a disturbance later." Abarai stopped looking scared for his life and grinned cheekily at Hitsugaya.

"Never a problem, Hitsugaya-taicho. Anytime you need this asshole taken off your hands, I'll be glad to beat the crap out of him," the redhead spoke confidently. Hitsugaya surprised himself by giving the vice-captain a sly smirk.

"I may take you up on that, Abarai."

"You know, you bastards could stop talking about me like I'm not even here," Ichigo groused. His normally frowning face was in full form, with his brows furrowed and his lips jutting out in a ridiculous pout.

"Hush, Ichigo." Hitsugaya turned to look at Abarai who was making a face at the orange-haired boy. "Abarai-fukotaicho, what are you still doing here?" The heavily tattooed warrior made an apologetic face and bowed to Hitsugaya before running off. Finally, Hitsugaya turned to look at his partner.

"You suck," Ichigo said, his voice sullen as could be. Hitsugaya rolled his eyes. "Seriously, my head hurts."

"Fine," he said, easily folding up his legs and sitting Indian style. "Lay down and put your head in my lap." Ichigo did as he was told, which almost shocked Hitsugaya, except when Ichigo's head did rest in his lap, the other boy's eyes staring up at his, he saw that Ichigo did really seem to be in pain. Placing his hands on either side of the head in his lap, he pressed his fingertips against Ichigo's temple and circled around his head, his thumbs resting on the crown of his skull. With a gentle push of his spiritual energy, he began to heal Ichigo.

"Ichigo… Why didn't you say anything earlier?" Casting spells was something all captains should be more than capable of, as with all their skills, they were far above normal. Hitsugaya's healing skills were nothing extraordinary, but he was probably at least as skilled as the 4th squad unseated officers, more than capable of dealing with most minor wounds. A headache should be easy, only the reading he was getting off of Ichigo was far more severe than a simple headache. It felt more like a migraine, and it had to have been bothering him for hours.

"I thought it would go away," the substitute shinigami replied, still sullen but Hitsugaya was prone to forgiving the other boy's tone given the pain he was in.

"You moron," Hitsugaya scolded in a soft voice, and he couldn't have hidden the affection in the words even if he wanted to. A white glow settled around Ichigo's head as the spell began to take effect.

"Thank you, Toshiro." The two stayed silent as Hitsugaya worked his magic, until Ichigo felt the pressure and pain finally leave his head. The smile he gave Hitsugaya was almost blinding in its intensity. Because the two of them did smile rarely, or at least smiled rarely at others, each time they shared their happiness, it made Hitsugaya feel that much closer to his lover. Lover: a word that frequently brought as much discomfort as it did comfort. It even felt odd to think, much less say; not just because of the baggage that the word love had, but also because of what it meant. The word love was almost somehow safer, because it implied an emotion, which existed as a moment. To love someone was to—well—love them, but the word itself didn't imply a relationship, or even a commitment, it was simply an emotion, and emotions took place and then were gone. To be a lover, though, that was the real act of loving, the noun form of a verb, implying at once action, the act of unifying, and permanence, imparting the solidity of a thing to an action. A lover was something powerful and special, and in many ways very dangerous.

"Always, Ichigo," the white-haired captain said softly. Ichigo sat up slightly and turned over, moving forward to kiss the other boy and lay him down upon the ground. Hitsugaya could feel a rock digging into his lower back, and the dust and grit of the ground worming it's way into his_haori_ but he didn't care. Because Ichigo's tongue was in his mouth and Ichigo's hands were on his body and Ichigo was suddenly whispering in his ear while he dug his hands into Hitsugaya's pants.

Hitsugaya practically tore the clothes off of Ichigo's body and within seconds the two were once again laying on the ground, hot flesh moving against hot flesh. The only sounds were made by them, scrabbling in the dirt, rustling of clothing, the wet sloppy sounds of kissing and slightly noise made by friction of skin on skin contact. Brief moans and grunts punctuated their interaction, and when Ichigo made a move to Hitsugaya's crotch with his face, the smaller shinigami rolled them both over, and quickly spun around. Surprise kept Ichigo from doing anything, other than keeping his mouth open, which Hitsugaya took as an invitation to settle his knees just above the other boy's head, and fill his mouth for him.

With a slurp, Ichigo began to happily attack his erection, sucking and licking and making so much noise Hitsugaya was amused by the echo it produced in the giant cavern. But he had things to do, and one of them was right in front of his nose, quivering with excitement and already leaking pre-cum. Taking a deep breath, he didn't bother around with lavishing attention on anything but taking Ichigo deep into his mouth and throat, neatly inhaling the other boy's cock. He could feel Ichigo's teeth and tongue stop moving, and a groan came from the carrot-top that rumbled very nicely up down the length of his erection. Ichigo had too much of a gag reflex to do what Hitsugaya was doing, but after a brief pause, he more than made up for it by sucking his boyfriend off with a vengeance.

The two didn't last long, but then again, they didn't intend to. Ichigo came first, filling the back of Hitsugaya's throat with cum. The heat quickly dissipated, but for a second he could feel Ichigo's seed sliding into his stomach, and the feeling of having Ichigo cum inside his body all he needed to push him over the edge. Gasping for breath into Ichigo's well tone thigh, his forehead against the tightly tensed muscle, he came with a shout.

"ICHIGO," he yelled and then for a second he saw stars. The two boys stayed where they were for a moment, and then began to help each other up. Ichigo had some of Hitsugaya's semen on his chin, which the white-haired boy delicately flicked off.

"I don't think I've gotten you to shout my name in a while." Ichigo would have purred if he could, he sounded so pleased with himself.

"Hmph."

"Oh don't sound so grumpy, we both needed that."

"I didn't dispute that, but you don't have to sound so smug."

"Toshiro, you know I don't mean it like that. I'm only pleased because I made you feel so good."

"I know, I know. I just—"

"Yes, I remember. We have had this discussion before." Hitsugaya's lips quirked into a small expression of pleasure.

"Yes, we have, haven't we?" Even during sex, Hitsugaya hated to lose control, or do anything that was potentially shaming or unseemly. Ichigo relished the times when Hitsugaya did lose control, and it was difficult to remember that the other boy didn't take pleasure in his loss of control, but rather in the fact that he gave him enough pleasure to inspire the loss. The first time they'd had this discussion, it hadn't ended well at all, with a fight that lasted nearly a week and the only time they'd ever gone to bed with each other angry.

Two battle-trained shinigami having sex with each other while furious at each other was, as they had found, a recipe for pain and discomfort. One time had been enough of that; another would probably end their relationship completely. Thankfully, they were a great deal better at solving problems now then when they first began to see each other. Hitsugaya credited Ichigo's growing maturity to his own influence on the boy, but Ichigo declared that Hitsugaya had "loosened up a hell of a lot" or something akin to that. Also thankfully, this was one of the few subjects that the two of them didn't feel the need to argue about who had done what.

"Well, if it's any consolation, I know I'll be able to keep my mouth shut easier," his lover said. Hitsugaya smirked, and straightened his robes.

"That does seem to be a fair trade off, actually."

"Would you mind doing that thing?" Ichigo asked him, and Hitsugaya rolled his eyes.

"I hope you're a bit more articulate at the meeting, but yes, I will do that 'thing' for you."

Ichigo stuck his tongue at Hitsugaya who laid his hands on the other boy's chest. This was the most valuable thing Matsumoto had ever taught him—hands down—a spell for cleaning and neatening clothing. Calling spirit particles to his hands, he focused and blanked his mind. Letting the words form as kanji inside his mind's eye, he let the spell loose, making Ichigo's entire outfit and exposed skin glow. Dirt and sweat vanished, any trace of grime or wrinkles evaporated, his hair straightened out, Zangetsu's wrappings practically shone they were so white and the magic continued to clean him until Ichigo once again looked pristine and fresh.

After restraining his libido (and honestly, why was it that he'd managed to go for so long without feeling any of the usual masculine sex-drive and now he was inundated with it?) and casting the same spell on himself, the two began making their way towards the 1st division meeting hall.

* * *

Ichigo was nervous. And angry because he felt nervous. And guilty because he knew that Toshiro was worried about his self-control. And angry because Toshiro shouldn't have to be worried. And bitter that Toshiro didn't have enough faith in him. And angry that he was weak enough to not inspire faith in Toshiro. And—

Well, he was feeling pretty emotional. Because that was only just him and Toshiro, but factoring in all the other crap… Well, he'd be damned if he'd given anyone the satisfaction of seeing him break. So as the various 1st and 2nd seats of every division began to file into the room, he kept his face carefully blank, and felt determined to keep it that way.

Each captain stood with their adjutant directly behind them, just off of their captain's left hand side. At one end of the room was the giant chair were the captain-general sat, and at the other end stood Ichigo, staring down the row of captains and vice-captains. Although more faces were friendly to Ichigo than were antagonistic, the majority of his detractors (Toshiro was great for keeping a person's vocabulary up) were captains, which skewed the power balance by a significant margin out of favor of his supporters.

"Today, we are gathered here to discuss the fate of one Kurosaki Ichigo."

* * *

Did I really just end it right there? Yes I did (I've never really done a cliffhanger before, I hope this works) and you'll have to wait for the next chapter, The Executive Branch, to find out what happens! Be sure to tune in, not only do we find out Ichigo's fate, we get to see what happens when Hitsugaya meets Keigo, discover how easy it is to sneak around and make out when your boyfriend is a ghost no can see but you, your friends... and your father? 


	4. The Executive Branch

Disclaimer—I do not own Bleach.

A/N—hello kitties, long time no see. This is short, but I hope it whets your appetite for more, as the next chapter will take a while, since I'm trying to get a book published. I'm sorry it took so long, but I'm pretty much over Bleach right now. I will finish this fic, but oh my god spellchecking all this Japanese is a bitch and a half.

The Executive Branch

Part I

Ichigo almost leapt up so he could start yelling at the old man's words. They were going to "decide" his fate? He'd like to see them try. But he'd made a promise to himself, and to Toshiro, and he would not give the old bastard the satisfaction. Instead he stared directly into the captain general's eyes, daring him to try and enforce what he'd just said.

All around him the spiritual powers of the captains slept like tigers, at once docile and resting, yet dangerous and sleek. Each one tasted different (spiritual senses have "no direct analogue to the traditional physical senses," as Ishida had once remarked, but Ichigo did his best) and the feeling of restrained pressure only added to the tension of the room.

"Kurosaki Ichigo, you have proven to be a powerful warrior, one who has vanquished many hollows and purified many souls. You aided Soul Society in a way that has not been forgotten, but your recent actions took place in direct defiance of your orders as a substitute _shinigami_." Ichigo had to keep both of his hands balled into fists, lest he grab Zangetsu by reflex. He felt more than saw Toshiro looking at him, and that calmed him, if only a bit. The old man continued to speak, his words dominating the room and almost overshadowing the power of the captains.

"Given your actions, safe-guards must be placed to ensure future obedience of Soul Society orders, especially war-time orders. Do you willingly submit yourself to _shinigami_ authority?"

"I'll help Soul Society any way I can, but Soul Society has shown that it does not care what happens to the people most precious to me. I do not fight for Soul Society's rules, I fight for my friends," Ichigo responded, his voice almost as cold as Toshiro's ice.

"So you will not respect our rules?"

"I respect the rules that respect me."

"In war, there are casualties. Crippling our chances of victory for the sake of a comrade could be considered noble, but ultimately it is a moronic betrayal of your fellow soldiers," Soi Fon said scathingly.

"This ignores the fact that the war effort was not crippled, and in fact Aizen's plans were set back by a significant margin with the loss of Inoue Orihime, and multiple Arrancar," Ukitake interjected. "The fruits of such an undertaking must be considered at least some sort of justification for the endeavor!" Ichigo's head was starting to spin from the captain's dialogue. Did they all have to be so wordy? He glanced at Toshiro, who looked perfectly calm.

"All the same, rescuing her against a direct edict from the captain-general displays a flippant disregard for rules and regulations that will eventually cause problems," Soifon continued, her tone cool and implacable.

"Not obeying Soul Society laws is how Kurosaki saved Soul Society, or have we so quickly forgotten that fact," Kyoraku finished for Ukitake. His charismatic baritone and raised eyebrow led to some small grumbles from the Captain-General.

"If saving Soul Society rendered a _shinigami_ immune to disciplinary action, then there would no reason for any of us to obey any order, no matter their origin or necessity," Unahona said quietly. Despite her words, Ichigo felt a very forceful respect for the woman, he'd never seen her draw her sword in anger, but the deference every all the Shinigami he knew accorded her meant something. And staying angry with a woman having such a maternal air proved difficult for Ichigo.

He didn't look into that fact too deeply.

"At the same time we cannot afford to dismiss those who are capable of _bankai._ Aizen is still out there, and his Espada are not all dead. The most powerful are still alive and well in Hueco Mundo. And we know that there are still Vasto Lord Aizen has yet to even consider approaching." Having Ukitake and Kyoraku as their allies reminded Ichigo why he felt Soul Society was worth protecting. Most of the time. But Unahona's calm, even soft, voice seemed to weave a spell over the others. Even the old man was looking speculatively at her.

"If we determine there is no fault in the matter, the fact remains, that you," Soi Fon said pointing at Ichigo, "place greater import on Hitsugaya-_taicho's_ well-being than on the potential orders you may be given. What if a mission took you away from Hitsugaya?"

"I wouldn't worry, Toshiro can more than take care of himself," Ichigo said. Inoue was a civilian, she had to be rescued, and Rukia had been powerless and unwilling to help herself, but Toshiro was a warrior, and Ichigo had faith in his abilities.

"What if he were in clear danger and your mission was the one true goal of Soul Society?"

"What if Aizen cannot be stopped, what if we all die tomorrow, what if, what if, all I hear is what if?" Ichigo practically shouted. "There is no 'what if' in my mind. We fight Aizen, we beat Aizen, and we save Karakura, and each and every one of us comes back whole. That's how you should think, you should have faith in your comrades and faith in yourself. We won't lose to men like Aizen."

"Your strength of spirit is commendable, but this is war, Kurosaki, make no mistake. Not everyone will survive, and not all faith will be rewarded," Komamura rumbled.

"That's too bad, because I had faith in all of you," Ichigo snapped. Toshiro winced and Byakuya, who had been fairly unresponsive, snorted contemptuously.

"Enough!" The old man decided. "The matter of the Las Noches excursion shall be resolved later, and let it be said: I respect the positive outcome of that unlawful journey. For now, we attend the matter of Kurosaki Ichigo and his loyalty to Soul Society." The ancient _shinigami_ turned the full brunt of his gaze on Ichigo, pulling in spirit power to raise him up and assume his full height. Just by standing up fully, the old man radiated spirit pressure enough to make Ichigo sweat.

"I have a suggestion, if you please," Byakuya who had been mostly silent until that point, spoke up. The captain general glanced at him

"And what would you suggest, Kuchiki-_taicho_?"

"In the interest of pursuing two birds with one stone, I propose that censure of the 10th squad captain involve his temporary removal from his post, allowing his primary responsibilities within the unit to be taken care of by his or another captain's adjutant. During the time of the censure he would still maintain his rank of captain, but in name only. He would be removed from his duties and any of the due process we undergo."

"And his movements would not be curtailed during this time?"

"The terms of the censure may be decided upon before the measure is to be passed." Hitsugaya frowned, Byakuya had just netted him the opportunity to be a deciding factor in his own punishment. "There is a saying in the Kuchiki clan, that 'pain is the great teacher.' I suggest that Hitsugaya-_taicho's_ punishment be to establish the foundations of a bulwark against the Arrancar invasion."

"Isn't putting Hitsugaya-_kun_ in charge of an administrative position going against the inherent premise of that punishment?" Unahona asked reasonably.

"The removal of administrative functions over his own unit would suffice, especially given that his charge is primarily to put into effect those measures Central 46 and the Gotei 13 approve, and not to have any input above the level of implementation. What's more, that bulwark would place him directly in contract with Kurosaki, and as the 10th division's captain is loyal to Soul Society, something I believe none here will dispute, his presence would prove compelling for Kurosaki, regardless of what our decisions might be."

"And according to the by-laws, a shinigami representative could be empowered to be an agent of administrational oversight," Ukitake commented softly and with a small smile. "Allowing Hitsugaya-_taicho_ and Kurosaki to work together in a manner best suiting them and establishing trust with the Central 46."

"We seem to place an almost unbearable amount of trust in a single human child, however much of an anomaly he is," Kurotsuchi muttered loud enough for all to hear. For the first time Toshiro tensed at a remark directed towards Ichigo, and Ichigo wondered what about the mad-scientist's words inspired such a reaction.

"With no resources to spare, the solution is ideal for the problem. Hitsugaya-_taicho_ is loyal to Soul Society, and his undertakings will be aided by Kurosaki, regardless of what we decide," Byakuya finished.

"There is, however, the nature of the relationship between the two. It would make the shinigami representative entirely unfit for his duty." The old man seemed bound and determined to make the day end poorly, Ichigo decided. Luckily, Byakuya had another trick up his sleeve, and Ichigo wondered when exactly the stuck-up noble had become so sneaky.

"Then perhaps an observer should be posted who can validate both of their decisions. The shinigami representative must be involved with all of our material world war efforts, as he is the cornerstone of any allies we have in that realm."

"It would be prudent to have such an observer in the event that the Shinigami representative might commit an error in his diplomatic work," Soi Fon said approvingly. "There is also the matter of disciplinary hearings for those who joined Kurosaki on his journey to Hueco Mundo."

"Something that I belief you may bear some responsibility for, Kuchiki-taicho," growled the old man.

"Is there proof of such an accusation?" Byakuya said in such mild tone that Ichigo had to bite back a snicker.

"Only that is very suspicious that a vice-captain and a member of house Kuchiki both manage to elude your care so shortly after returning to Soul Society," Kurotsuchi purred. Kenpachi looked at him with barely restrained bloodlust and Ichigo was super-thankful that the creepy mad scientist seemed to occupy Kenpachi's attention.

"I returned them as was my task, detaining them was not in the mission statement."

"Cease this digression, please, and return to your point, Kuchiki-_taicho_."

"Perhaps the punishment of those who aided Kurosaki should mirror those of Hitsugaya-_taicho_."

"Clarify your meaning," the captain-general snapped, clearly growing impatient.

"Both Abarai-_fukotaicho_ and Kuchiki Rukia will be valuable assets in the upcoming conflict. Because of their actions, Aizen's forces are in disarray and we have superior information about the formation of his Espada. The removal of three of Aizen's Espada is no small feat. Send them to Karakura town with observers of their own, who may also function as checks on Hitsugaya's actions as their own punishment, and to obey his commands as they relate to the formation of our real world assets."

"Who else can we afford to send?" Komamura spoke up.

"I have a couple of guys who could use something to do," Kenpachi offered lazily.

"I think we were searching for operatives capable of utilizing basic writing and verbal skills," Kurotsuchi practically snarled at the massive warrior. Kenpachi smiled like a shark and caressed the hilt of his sword.

"Silence!" The old man shouted and rapped his staff sharply on the floor. "We shall put the matter to a vote. Kurosaki, your presence is no longer required."

"Che," Ichigo said, and turned to leave, his massive sword strapped to his back. On the way out he felt a wisp of air brush his ear.

"Wait for me," Toshiro's voice whispered to him. Ichigo didn't know what spell he'd used, but he nodded.

"Always."

* * *

The meeting had gone much better than he'd anticipated. Although Hitsugaya knew in the past his actions would have resulted in far stronger censure, perhaps even demotion, with the loss of the central counsel and the war he was too valuable to sideline. Or so he'd thought, and he had correctly anticipated the results of the day's meeting. He would be removed from command although not formally demoted until such time as the Central 46 or the Captain Commander recommended the punishment be removed. In a time of war or combat, his rank would be returned to him only to be relinquished after the immediate danger had passed.

Protecting Karakura town was a noble goal, certainly, and the city would be the site of the coming war, but being put in charge of what was essentially grunt work fortifications irked Hitsugaya's sense of pride. Still it was better than demotion or imprisonment by a large margin. His thoughts trailed to a halt as Hitsugaya flew through the air towards Ichigo's massive _reiatsu_.

His paramour was perched atop one of the tall towers that littered the city of the _shinigami_. Ichigo lay on his back, staring into the clouds and seemingly out of focus, so that when Hitsugaya appeared next to him, the human boy didn't even blink.

Hitsugaya took the time to look Ichigo over, taking in the strength and grace of his warrior's body, the power and insight that were so attractive to him. Hitsugaya had never had much thought for his love life, at one point he had been sure he was destined to be with Hinamori, before finally realizing that women did nothing for him. Many _shinigami_ had romantic relationships, but those rarely advanced to any serious rank. Bonds of such caliber were invariably obstacles on the path to power amongst the 13 Divisions, with few exceptions. Even rarer were relationships between those of a higher caste and civilians. A relationship with a captain level living _shinigami_ with Hollow powers was, without a doubt, unique and unforeseen, let alone imaginable, in Soul Society.

"Hey, how did it go?" Hitsugaya turned to look out over the city, his finely trained senses casually pinpointing the nearest great _reiatsu_ signatures and evaluating distance from him to them.

"Better than I expected."

"Yeah, how so?" Hitsugaya turned back to Ichigo who gazed at him unwaveringly. The affection in his eyes made Hitsugaya uncomfortable at first, as it always did, before he relaxed. Ichigo had a way of being quietly thoughtful, and picking a location like this, the top of a tall tower, afforded Hitsugaya a clear view of their surroundings and privacy.

"I will be sent to _Karakura_ town as part of a delegation of _shinigami_ who are to create a bulwark behind which we might fight Aizen when he makes his second attempt on the city." Ichigo nodded, that made sense and he agreed with the sentiment.

"I will be censured from command until such time as it is decided to reinstate my privileges."

"That's bullshit," Ichigo spat and Hitsugaya looked at him in amusement.

"Not as much as you think, since it is likely I will be reinstated the censure is in name only." And as much as that galled him, _shinigami_ of lower rank would still afford him respect if only because he was capable of _bankai._ "In practice, my duties and authority will be similar to the same."

"Yeah, but it still pisses you off," Ichigo said," and that pisses me off. That you're pissed off.

"So eloquent," Hitsugaya said sly as a fox, and Ichigo growled happily and lunged up to kiss him. Hitsugaya levitated without thinking and wrapped his arms around Ichigo, devouring his mouth so hot and wet.

After a few moments of delicious friction and hands and tongue, Hitsugaya reluctantly separated from Ichigo.

"Come, I have preparations to make, and I suspect you do as well." Ichigo smirked.

"Nope, I got nothing to do that can't wait. And since I can't wait for you to come earth side, I'll just hang out here." Hitsugaya rolled his eyes.

"Then why don't you go to my quarters and start laying out clothes from the _gigai_ closet. I have some quick paperwork to do before I hand over control of the division to Matsumoto."

"Rangiku-_san_ is going to be in charge?" Ichigo asked skeptically, and Hitsugaya snorted. Matsumoto played the part of a mindless floozy too well sometimes, but it worked for her. Most of her enemies badly underestimated her, and the advantage from that was priceless. Overconfidence killed more _shinigami_ than Hollow or _zanpokuto_ combined.

"C'mon, I'll walk you back," Ichigo said and Hitsugaya raised an eyebrow.

"Really? That's if you can catch me." And with that he took off leaving Ichigo squawking and yelling.

* * *

Hitsugaya hung his head, and gave silent prayers to whatever deities were listening that they smite him before things got worse.

"Oi, _Taicho_, I'm packed and ready to go," Matsumoto shouted. Hitsugaya gritted his teeth and tried to ignore the headache threatening to form. He didn't know how she'd fast-talked her way into another pass at the real world, and he would never admit to being grateful for her presence, because right now she was pissing him off.

"Man, Toshiro, you take even longer than a chick to pack," called out his soon-to-be-actually-dead-and-not-just-fake-dead boyfriend.

"Don't be mean to _Taicho_! This is a difficult day for him, and you should be more understanding," scolded Matsumoto.

"I've been plenty understanding, but he's taking forever and if we're not quick Kenpachi is going to find me and then try to fight me and then Toshiro will start fighting too and the Captain-Commander will have to come break it up AGAIN, and Byakuya will do that eyebrow thing and look at me like I'm stupid and that really pisses me off!" Ichigo's rant came to an end.

"That's no reason to be mean to Hitsugaya-taicho. You want to get lucky, don't you, Ichigo-_kun_?" Ichigo coughed in a frantically embarrassed fashion.

"I can hear both of you, you know," Hitsugaya finally said.

"Then hurry up, I think I just heard Yachiru," Ichigo called after him, and Hitsugaya hurriedly threw his suitcase shut.

Once the coast was determined clear (Kenpachi was actually on the opposite side of _Sereitei_ from them, courtesy of the tiny pink haired demon) the trio made their way to the _Senkai_ for transportation to Karakura town.

Hitsugaya felt naked without his captain's robes. They were packed in his bag in case of Arrancar attack, otherwise though he was to keep to simple _Shinigami_ robes.

Kurotsuchi and Ukitake were there to see them off, along their escort of Soi Fon and a contingent of her Corps. The darkly shrouded men all stared obliquely at him, from the corners of their eyes and lowered heads. Subtly and appraisingly, as they were trained to. Soi Fon's look was covered in ill-shrouded disdain, at which Ichigo practically growled.

"Don't look at him like that," he snapped at her. The 2nd Division captain sniffed but turned her gaze away.

"He, much like you, is a disgrace to the institution of," Kurotsuchi began talking only to have Ukitake lay a gentle hand on his shoulder. Perhaps it was Ukitake's position as a senior captain, or the fact that no one had touched Kurotsuchi gently in centuries, but he stopped talking.

"Kiyone and Sentaro will take good care of your men until you return, Hitsugaya-taicho," the white-haired man said. Hitsugaya felt a bit of warmth in his chest, and he allowed a small up-turn to catch at his lips.

"Thank you, Ukitake."

"It's my pleasure. Have a nice vacation with Ichigo-kun," Ukitake said with a smile, and then they stepped through the gate.

They'd come through the gate on top of the skyscraper, which gave them all a clear view of the immense city district. Hitsugaya turned to Matsumoto and told her to take their luggage to Urahara's shop, where they would all be staying. His vice-captain had complained loudly as she hefted up her massive bags and Hitsugaya's single trunk and flash stepped off the roof.

"All right," Soi Fon said after Matsumoto had left, turning to Ichigo. "Take me to your pet Arrancar."

"They're my friends," Ichigo said, glowering.

"They're former Espada, and one of them nearly killed both you and Kuchiki Rukia."

"Fine, let's go." The three _shinigami_ leapt off the roof; Ichigo leading the way with long flash steps. Hitsugaya recognized the direction they were going, and incredulity ripped through his brain. He moved forward to be side by side with Ichigo.

"Ichigo… Please tell me you didn't let the Arrancar live with Inoue," Hitsugaya said slowly. Ichigo grinned.

"Of course!"

"But that's dangerous, she's the weakest out of everyone," Hitsugaya protested.

"Not really, technically Keigo is the weakest now." Hitsugaya blinked.

"Keigo developed spiritual powers?"

"Barely, he can almost take down a normal hollow by himself, though." Hitsugaya stared at his boyfriend and realized the boy was completely serious.

"Kurosaki, you realize that that is an unheard of feat for a human being, right? Many _shinigami_ have difficult with a single hollow."

"Meh, he's okay, he's not really… suited towards fighting. But Mizuiro is getting really good at Kidou and Tatsuki and Yoruichi-san are working hard."

"Yes, that Tatsuki girl has potential," Soi Fon said from just behind them, moving up to take part in the conversation, and although her voice was mild, Hitsugaya stared at her in disbelief. Soi Fon never handed out compliments, and certainly never spoke well of mortals. "She has impressed Yoruichi-sama with her grit and determination."

"Oi, here's Inoue's house," Ichigo said suddenly, and they all landed on the roof he pointed out. From inside they could year yelling and screaming, and for a split second Hitsugaya debated dropping his seal and plunging through the house to save Inoue. Then he paused and listened.

"I'm going to kill him," screamed a voice that could only be Grimmjow.

"Pesshe, apologize to Grimmjow."

"I don't have to listen to you, Dondo-Chakka."

"I'll tell Neliel-sama… Urk…"

"Grimmjow, put my Fraccion down."

"These bastards got infinite boogers on my coat, I'm going to kill them!"

"Let's go down, shall we?" Hitsugaya said firmly, even though Ichigo was smirking, the situation seemed dangerous, so Hitsugaya made sure to keep his sword at the ready.

"Guys, if you want ice-cream you need to calm down, or you get nothing," sang out Inoue Orihime.

"We're sorry, Orihime-san," said two out of three feuding Hollows.

"I want ice-cream too," Nel said. The three _shinigami_ opened the sliding door on the balcony and walked in.

"Don't put anything weird on mine, just chocolate," Grimmjow yelled, then he deigned to look at the pack of _shinigami_.. "Took you bastards long enough to come in."

"Hello, Ichigo," Nel greeted him with a smile.

"Kurosaki-kun, Toshiro-kun, Soi Fon-san, hello. If I'd known you were coming I would have gotten more ice-cream," Inoue was carrying four bowls, gave two to Dondo Chakka and Pesshe, one to Nel and one to Grimmjow.

"This is the best reason to not kill humans," Grimmjow said with a leering smile as he dug into the ice cream. Everyone else began to look a bit nervous.

"That's wonderful, Grimmjow-san," Inoue said slowly. "So, what brings you three to my house? Can I get you any chairs?"

"Nah, it's fine," Ichigo said, falling to a sitting position on the floor. Hitsugaya stayed upright, he never sat-down when he didn't have to, he was short enough as it was.

"I need to ask your Arrancar a few questions," Soi Fon said as she walked forward took a seat.

"Oi, _her_ Arrancar? What do you mean by that?" Grimmjow snarled.

"There appear to be two missing," Soi Fon said, ignoring the former Espada. Neliel's Fraccion hurriedly devoured their ice cream, glancing nervously at the second division captain.

"Sado and Uryuu took Bawabawa for a walk with Gantenbainne," Pesshe volunteered cheerfully, and then quailed when Soi Fon looked at him.

"That's almost distressing to hear," Ichigo said _sotto_ voice to Hitsugaya, who smirked. Grimmjow looked at the two of them, and grinned like a shark.

"Well, well, well, what have we here? I was wondering why you weren't wearing captain's robes. Fraternizing in the ranks is frowned upon in Soul Society, eh?"

"Fraternizing with the living is the secondary charge, otherwise it is none of your business," Soi Fon said before Hitsugaya or Ichigo could retaliate. "Now, hold still, I'm scanning you." In her hands she held a weird remote control that ended in a toothy mouth. The mouth opened and a tongue came out, and then waved around Grimmjow's body, projecting blue light.

"Are you sure we can't just kill him," Ichigo groused and Hitsugaya raised an eyebrow.

"I would think you'd take better care of your pets," Soi Fon said.

"Oi, did you just call me a pet?" Grimmjow snarled.

"Kurosaki-kun, is it true? Are you dating Toshiro-_kun_?" Hitsugaya almost gave up any and all hope of ever getting respect from anyone.

"Ano… yeah, we are." Hitsugaya steadily looked at the wall so he didn't have to look at the smug and glowing expression on Ichigo's face.

"Oh." Inoue was blushing. "Well, congratulations, I guess." Ichigo shrugged.

"Yeah it's pretty good."

"Only pretty good? But, Ichigo-_kun_, Taicho is a _genius_, surely he must be at least amazing," said Matsumoto as she entered the apartment from the balcony. "Hello, Orihime-_chan_!"

"Matsumoto," growled Hitsugaya, someday he would have to discipline her for her remarks, but it would have to wait until he was reinstated. Soi Fon raised an eyebrow while Grimmjow leered.

"That's your lieutenant, right? Hot bitch like that is wasted on a poof like you." Hitsugaya saw red for a moment.

"Hey, that's my boyfriend you're talking about, bastard," Ichigo said angrily.

"And my _Taicho_," Matsumoto said, her hand on her sword.

"We'll just be going now," Pesshe said as he shoved Donda Chokka out the door. Neliel looked after her Fraccion fondly.

"I don't need the two of you to fight my battles for me," Hitsugaya said looking Grimmjow over. The Espada was strong, but Hitsugaya had already defeated at least one Arrancar of his level, another shouldn't be terribly difficult.

"Battle? With this weakling, yeah right," Ichigo scoffed. Grimmjow shot forward and grabbed the substitute _Shingami_ by his robe.

"What did you call me?"

"A weakling. Why, Grimmjow, did you want to tell me something." Ichigo ground his forehead into the former-Espada's. Hitsugaya remembered the first time he'd caught Ichigo and Abarai grinding their foreheads against one another, it had helped him realize that Ichigo was queerer than, well, a living death god.

Later he'd discovered that Ichigo butted heads with people all the time, literally, and figuratively.

As Ichigo and Grimmjow yelled up a storm, Soi Fon took the time to analyze Neliel.

"You also have a child-form?"

"Yes, but only when Grimmjow is out of the house. Otherwise it's a bit much for Orihime to handle," Neliel answered calmly. Orihime nodded in between worried looks at Ichigo and Grimmjow.

"So you're Nel? I'm Matsumoto Rangiku, _fuko-taicho_ of the 10th division," Matsumoto said offering her hand to Neliel, who rose and shook it.

"Pleasure to meet you."

"Well any friend of Orihime's is a friend of mine." Soi Fon gave a rude snort.

"Hey, Orihime… You have any more ice cream?" Matsumoto asked and the girl shrieked in dismay.

"Oh no! I don't! I have to go get some right now!"

"I'll come with you!" Matsumoto exclaimed cheerfully and Hitsugaya watched as his vice captain, a _shinigami_ who was easily over a hundred years old, squealed like a small human child and ran out the door with Orihime in a flash of giant boobs and massive red hear. Soi Fon turned to Neliel and continued questioning her, and Hitsugaya looked over at Grimmjow and Ichigo who were still locking horns.

It didn't take long before Ichigo and Grimmjow were fighting in the sky over-head, apparently happy as pigs in muck. The clang and clash of their swords resounded in the sky over Karakura town. Their fight drew Hollow from all over the city, giving Hitsugaya a chance to make some easy stress relieving purifications for Hitsugaya. All in all things were quiet, and as he easily purified another huge Hollow, Hitsugaya reflected that maybe censure wasn't so bad, if he got to spend it with Ichigo.

This was, of course, before he was fully introduced to Ichigo's friends.


End file.
